Tom, Margo, and Something They've Always Wanted
by softball3332
Summary: My take on Tom and Margo's separation back in 2004. This story does deal with rape, as there are references to Margo's rape back in 1992 and Doc committing rape in this story.
1. Chapter 1

**Prelude**:

Tom and Margo had been separated for three months now, with Tom moving out of the house and into the Lakeview Towers. Tom had come to find out about Doc and Margo from Jill, the waitress at the Oakdale Country Club. What Jill left out is that she walked in on Doc trying to force himself on Margo. Casey moved out too, angry at his mom for hurting his dad like that. Tom had even served Margo with separation papers. She's been trying to hold off on signing them for the time being, holding out the slightest glimmer of hope that they could possibly reconcile. She hasn't spoken with either one of them since Casey told her that he didn't want anything to do with her and she overheard Tom telling Jessica that the thought of being in the same room with Margo made him sick.

Doc had been in jail, having been arrested and charged with sexual assault of another woman shortly after he tried forcing himself on Margo. Jill was facing theft/burglary charges herself after having been caught stealing money from the Oakdale Country Club. She agreed to turn evidence against Doc as part of a plea deal.

Shortly before the Doc incident, Margo found out she was pregnant, with Tom's child. The only thing is that because of her HCV status, liver transplant, and her age, Margo's pregnancy is high risk. She didn't even get the chance to tell Tom and Casey about the baby before they moved out. Margo decided at that point this pregnancy was something she was going to deal with by herself, that she was going to keep it hidden from Tom for as long as she possibly could.

**Chapter 1**:

Oakdale Police Department, 9:30 am.

Margo had just gotten to her desk after having a doctor's appointment earlier that morning. She was relieved that the baby was doing fine, but she wasn't too happy when Dr. Samuels told her that she needs to start taking it easy because of her HCV status and the liver transplant. Margo was also keenly aware of the fact that this pregnancy so far wasn't like when she was pregnant with Adam, Casey, and the baby she lost in the catacombs because the morning sickness had usually ceased around her fourth month of pregnancy and this time around, she was still dealing with it.

She was just sitting down when Hal comes down the stairs. Hal sees her sit down and put her head in her hands.

"Hey! Is everything okay with you? You were late this morning and I was beginning to worry about you." Hal says as he comes and sits down on the corner of Margo's desk.

"Sorry about being late, there. I had a doctor's appointment this morning. It's nothing more than being exhaustion and stress." She states quietly.

"What else did the doctor say?" Hal asks.

"The same old—I need to start taking it easy. I'm sorry; I think I am going to get sick…" Margo says as she gets up from her chair and heads for the ladies' room.

Margo comes back to her desk about fifteen minutes later, surprised to see Hal still sitting there. Hal had just got off the phone with Tom. He knew very well that Margo was trying to avoid Tom at all costs these days, and it had to do with the separation. Hal knew that Margo was still dealing with the pain of Tom believing Jill's side of the story of what she saw with Margo and Doc over hers.

"Margo, what's going on here? You don't look alright. You look really pale. I know you've been avoiding Tom at all costs. I just got off the phone with him about a file he was looking for. I know it's a case that you have been working on. There is something more to exhaustion and stress here and I kind of would like to know what's going on, not only as your boss, but also as your best friend. Does Tom know about this?" Hal asks her, very concerned for her well being.

"Hal, I can't talk to you about it here. He didn't say anything to you about the separation papers, did he?" Margo says quietly.

"No, he didn't say anything about them. How about I take you home? I am giving you the rest of the week off to take it easy, okay. I know what you've been dealing with lately and you could use the time off and get some rest."

"Hal…" Margo begins to protest.

"No, Margo, I am serious. I don't need to deal with you being in the hospital again because of your illness."

"Alright." Margo says as she grabs her purse and gets up out of her chair.

"Hey, Shanks. I am going to take Margo home. She's not feeling all that great. I'll be back later." Hal states as Shanks walks by.

"Okay boss." Shanks replies.

"Hal, I feel like I am going to be sick again. I'll be right back." Margo says as she runs off to the ladies' room, just as Tom walks over.

"Is Margo alright?" Tom asks, seeing Margo run off like that. "I know that we haven't spoken to each other since I moved out of the house, but what is going on?"

"Margo hasn't been feeling all that great for the past couple of weeks. She's been running herself ragged for the past three months—working an awful lot, barely taking any time off. I don't know how much I should tell you because when I asked if you knew anything, she said that she couldn't talk about it and it wouldn't matter to you anyway. I am very worried about her. What brings you down here?" Hal asks.

"I came down to see if you knew anything about that file I asked you about on the phone." Tom replies. "I need it for a preliminary hearing today."

"Margo gave it to me. She was waiting for forensics to come back on some evidence she had submitted for Jack. It's on my desk; you can ask Shanks for it. I don't know if you were aware of it, but Margo asked Jack to take over as lead investigator on the Kramers case when she started feeling ill." Hal states.

"No, I wasn't aware of it. Margo didn't notify me on it, even though she knows she's supposed to." Tom says as Margo walks out of the ladies' room, towards Tom and Hal.

"Hal, I'm ready to go." Margo interjects quietly, without acknowledging Tom.

"I've got to go, Tom. I'll be back sometime this afternoon if you need anything further on the case. Come on, Margo. Let's get you home." Hal says as he puts his arm around Margo's shoulder to lead her out of the police station.

Tom felt a pang of hurt when Hal said that it wouldn't matter to him anyway when he asked about Margo, then he felt another one as Hal put his arm around Margo and led her out of the police station. He was still pretty angry with her and hurt over what Jill had told him about the incident with Doc, but he was still concerned about her. He didn't like hearing from Hal that she was working way too much and not taking any time off. Upon seeing her for the first time in a couple of months, Margo didn't look like the same to him and she was more reserved, kind of withdrawn. He knew that was nothing like his wife. He realized that this separation was harder on her than he thought, harder than when they had separated after she found out about him and Emily.

Standing there in the atrium of the police station, Tom remembers the time when he had just come home and John was there. He sat down on the couch next to Margo and John had told the both of them that the pregnancy test he had ordered came back negative and that he wanted more tests ran. After John had left, Tom had noticed that she was shaking and she told him that she couldn't remember another time when she felt so afraid. That was shortly before they had received the devastating news that Margo had contracted the Hepatitis C virus when she was raped and the virus was attacking her liver.

"It can't be her HCV," Tom mumbles to himself as he walks into the squad room to retrieve the file that Hal told him was on his desk.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Margo's house.

Hal noticed on the drive over to Margo's house that she was really quiet. Something was definitely bothering her, he thought to himself.

"Earth to Margo, we're here." Hal says, trying to get her attention, noticing that she was staring off.

Hal and Margo get out of the car and walk into the house. Hal notices that the pictures and some other items were no longer in their place.

"Hey, what happened to all the pictures that you had all over the place?" He asks as he looks around.

"I packed them away, along with what I could pack of Tom, Casey, and Daniel's things. I figured there was no use having them around when all they are nothing but a painful reminder that Tom and Casey aren't coming back—that they don't want anything to do with me" Margo says as she sits down on the couch, going through the mail.

"Bob and Kim don't know how to take no for an answer. They both know that I am not interested in attending Chris and Alison's wedding, knowing that Tom and Casey are going to be there." Margo tells Hal when she notices the wedding invitation.

Since the separation, Margo has been somewhat trying to isolate herself outside of work. She has even made an effort to stay clear of Bob, Kim, and the rest of the Hughes family. Bob, Kim, and Lisa have tried reassuring Margo that they still love her and still consider her a big part of the Hughes family even though Tom and Casey moved out, but to no avail. When she did see Bob or Kim, they had asked her if she was planning on being at the wedding. Margo told them that she wouldn't feel right being there because of the separation and knowing that Tom and Casey were going to be there.

"Do you want anything, Margo? Tea, coffee?" Hal asks standing in the kitchen.

"Some ginger ale and some ice would be fine." Margo replies without looking at him.

"So, do you now want to tell me what's going on since you told me you couldn't talk about it at the station? What is really going on with you?" Hal asks, as he walks toward the couch and hands Margo the glass of ginger ale.

"Alright, but you have to promise me that you aren't going to tell Tom any of this. Especially since I noticed that you were talking to him when I came out of the restroom."

Margo implies.

"I won't tell Tom anything. You know I won't tell him unless you want me to, even though he was asking if you were alright earlier." Hal replies.

"There's really no easy way to go about this, Hal. I'm pregnant." Margo tells him.

"What? When did you find out?" Hal asks, with a shocked look on his face.

"Three months ago. I found out that I was pregnant the day before Doc tried forcing himself on me in the women's locker room at the Oakdale Country Club. I'm four months along." Margo replies. "There's more to this, Hal. The reason why I haven't been feeling so good is because I am still dealing with some pretty wicked morning sickness. On top of that, this pregnancy is considered a high-risk pregnancy because of my age, HCV status, and liver transplant."

"Does Tom know about the baby?" Hal asks.

"No." Margo tells him as she looks down, "I didn't get the chance to tell him before he and Casey moved out. If I told him, I know that he would have made the accusation that Doc was the father of this baby and I couldn't deal with that, knowing this is Tom's child. I made the decision to deal with this pregnancy on my own and not let Tom know."

"Margo. You don't have to go through this alone. I'm here. You already went through one pregnancy by yourself when you were in Greece. I don't think you should have to go through this by yourself, especially if it's a high-risk pregnancy. God, Margo, this has got to be hard. Tom has a right to know about this pregnancy, about his unborn child."

"Yeah, Hal, it is." Margo responds. "I want to tell Tom more than anything that we're having the second baby together that we've wanted for so long, but after what happened with the last pregnancy, when I suffered that miscarriage alone while Tom was with Emily that night, I don't think I could put myself through that kind of pain again." Margo says as the phone rings.

"Hello?" Margo says as she answers the phone.

"Hey Margo, how are you doing?" a familiar voice asks.

"John, hi! I'm hanging in there." Margo tells her father.

"It's John" Margo whispers to Hal.

"I have a proposition for you. I am here in Martha's Vineyard and I was wondering if you were able to take some time off and get out of Oakdale for a while." John asks.

"I would love to. Hal's been bugging me to take some time off from work. How long are you going to be there?" Margo asks.

"For the next three weeks. Right now, classes are on summer break and I had been thinking about coming up here for a while now. So, I decided to come up here for a month to relax and maybe get some writing done before the chaos of classes start up again. I was thinking about you last night and I thought you deserve to get away from Oakdale for a while and get away from everything."

"That sounds wonderful. Do you mind if I join you for the rest of your vacation?" Margo asks.

"I would love for you to come up here and spend some time with your dear old dad for the rest of his vacation; I can even make it longer if you need it to be."

"Thanks John, I'll get some things packed and I'll leave here tomorrow."

"Call me and let me know when your flight gets in. I'll call my friend, Alan Sorenson, who is an OB/GYN who deals with high risk pregnancies to let him know that you are coming up—just in case something happens. I'll talk to you later." John says.

"That wouldn't be such a bad idea. I'll call you when I find out when my plane lands. Thanks John. Bye." Margo says as she hangs up the phone.

"Looks like you are going to need some more time off." Hal states.

"I'm sorry to do this to you, Hal." Margo says.

"Margo, it's perfectly fine. You definitely could use the time off and I am glad that you are going to go join John on his vacation to relax and get away from here. I think it will do you some good. Are you hungry at all? If you want, I can go through the fridge and see what you have and make you something to eat—like some soup or something easier on your stomach." Hal says.

"I haven't had much of an appetite today." Margo replies.

"Here, I found some chicken wild rice soup in the fridge-I'll reheat that for you." Hal says as he grabs the container out of the fridge.

"That sounds good." Margo says as she is looking for the number for the travel agent to see about getting a round-trip ticket to Boston or to Cape Cod to meet up with John in Martha's Vineyard.

"Margo, I am glad that you've decided to get out of town for a while—especially with Doc's trial being next week and the wedding shortly after that. It'll be good for you to get away from what's been hard on you and to spend some time with John. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to miss having you around the station. You need this. Do you want me to say anything to Tom or Casey if they ask?" Hal asks as he brings a bowl of soup over to where Margo's sitting on the couch.

"I doubt they're going to even notice that I'm gone. Tom's probably been busy with work, with the wedding, and Casey's fall baseball and Daniel's soccer games. It's not going to make any difference to them if I am gone. Tom and Casey pretty much want absolutely nothing to do with me." Margo says.

"Does anybody else know about the pregnancy?" Hal asks as he sits down.

"Bob and Kim know, but I asked them not to say anything to Tom or Casey about it. That's it. I haven't even told Katie or Craig either, because one of those two would definitely say something to Tom. I just don't want to deal with any of that right now. Besides, if Katie finds out that this is a high-risk pregnancy because of the liver transplant, she's going to be really angry." Margo says, in between blows to cool her soup.

Meanwhile outside, Tom pulls up in the driveway. He parks the car and walks up to the front door. When he gets there, he looks inside to see Margo and Hal sitting there on the couch together talking. He stands there for a minute, deciding whether or not to ring the doorbell. When he sees Margo lay her head on Hal's shoulder, he decides to leave without either one of them noticing. He walks back to his car, feeling somewhat hurt—thinking that there might be something wrong with Margo and what looks like Hal taking care of her. Tom gets back into his car and feeling somewhat bad for lashing out at her like he did before he moved out, he drives off.

"You know that eventually, you're going to have to deal with him—at least in a professional sense. I told him about you asking Jack to take over the lead in the Kramers investigation and that you were waiting on the forensics on the evidence you had submitted for Jack. He told me that he didn't know and that you didn't notify him on that, even though that you knew you were supposed to." Hal tells Margo, as he stirs his soup around a bit.

"Yeah, yeah. I know I was supposed to notify Tom. The reason I didn't was that I felt I shouldn't have to explain to him why I asked Jack to take over the case because you and I both know he was going to ask, even though I know it's not going to change anything." Margo replies as she's about to take a bite.

"Is there some other reason why you have been totally avoiding Tom?" Hal asks, getting up. "Would you like some more ginger ale?"

"Yes, thanks." Margo says, handing Hal her glass. "There's more to the reason why I have been avoiding Tom. The first is that he lashed out at me pretty bad when he confronted me about what Jill told him. Hal, I told him the truth about what happened—that, yes, I did kiss Doc. But when I told him that I can't, that I shouldn't have done that, Doc got mad and that is when he tried forcing himself on me-slamming me up against the wall. You would think that Tom would believe his wife over someone he barely knows. Boy, I was wrong on that. I thought it would be best if I gave Tom some space and just stay out of his way. About a couple of weeks later, I walked into the DA's office to drop off a case file and I overheard a conversation with him and Jessica and I overheard something that really stung." Margo says, taking the glass from Hal as he sits down.

"What was that?" Hal asks.

"I overheard Tom tell Jessica that the thought of him being in the same room with me makes him sick." Margo says, as a tear rolls down her cheek. "I left. I didn't even leave the file that I was going to drop off."

"Margo, I am so sorry that you had to hear that. What about Casey? Eventually, he's going to come around and he's going to want you there for something important." Hal says.

"I doubt that too. Casey made it pretty clear that he was angry that I hurt his dad like that by kissing Doc. He didn't even give me any chance to explain what happened." Margo says as the phone rings.

Margo looks at the caller id on the cordless phone and sees that it's Tom calling.

"I'll let the answering machine take that call. It's Tom and I don't feel like talking to him." Margo says as the answering machine picks up, playing the greeting that she hasn't changed yet. After the greeting, Margo and Hal are quiet,

"Margo, it's me, Tom. I know you aren't expecting me to call, but I was calling to see if you are alright. I saw you earlier today when you rushing to the ladies' room. I asked Hal if you were okay, but he wouldn't tell me much. I just need to know if you're okay. Please, call me. Bye." Tom says before the beep.

"It's probably a pretense to bug me about the separation papers." Margo says after hearing Tom leave the message.

"You probably have to get going, get back to the office or to Parker and Will." Margo says looking at her watch.

"Are you okay?" Hal asks.

"I'll be fine. Thanks for making me something to eat and being here to listen. Besides, I have a trip to pack for and I need to find out about plane tickets." Margo says.

"You're welcome. Enjoy your trip. Please let me know that you've made it there alright. You know I am going to worry about you. Don't worry; I am not going to say anything to Tom about the baby." Hal says, getting up from the chair.

Margo gets up from the couch at the same time and grabs the two bowls. Hal picks up his coffee cup and the glass.

"You can leave the glass. I was planning on finishing that." Margo says as she walks over to the sink with the dirty bowls.

"Okay. Let me know how long you're going to be gone for. One last thing about the trip, it's probably a good idea that you're leaving town for a while considering that Doc's trial starts next week and the wedding is coming up soon." Hal says.

"It's like you and John both said, I need to get away for a while—get away from everything that is going on here. I don't need to be reminded of Doc and the trial is going to be nothing but a reminder of what happened between Tom and I, and I really don't want to be at the wedding anyway." Margo says as she walks over to the door to see Hal out.

Later that afternoon, the Lakeview Towers—Tom and Casey's suite.

Tom is sitting at the desk, looking over the file of the Kramers investigation that he got from Shanks earlier in the day when Casey walks in.

"Hey, bud. How was school today?" Tom asks, looking up as Casey tosses his backpack on the couch.

"It was alright. By the way, conferences are coming up in two weeks and I was asked today in a couple of classes which one of my parents is coming." Casey replies as he flops on the bed.

"Speaking of your mom, and I know you don't want to hear this, but I saw your mom today and she's not looking real good." Tom says quietly.

"Did she say anything?" Casey asks, looking surprised.

"No, Hal told me that she hasn't been feeling that good for the past couple of weeks and that she's been literally throwing herself into her work and barely taking any time off. When I asked him if he knew what was wrong with her, Hal told me that he didn't know what or how much to tell me and that she couldn't talk about it and that it wouldn't matter to me anyway. I then went over to the house and saw your mom sitting there with Hal. They looked like they were talking. I left after seeing your mom put her head on Hal's shoulder. I tried calling the house, but all I was able to do was leave a message. I'll make it to your conferences." Tom says.

"How bad did she look? Do you think it's because she's working too much?" Casey asks.

"She looked pretty pale—kind of like of how pale she looked right before we found out she had HCV. I hope that the stress of working too much isn't getting to her, but you know how your mom is—she doesn't want to talk much and throw herself into her job." Tom says, looking for his briefcase.

"Hey, are you hungry at all? I haven't eaten yet." Tom asks from the other room, where he finds his briefcase.

"Not really. I got something to eat from Al's after practice. I ran into Jill from the country club." Casey says.

"Did she say anything?" Tom asks.

"All she said is that she hopes we know the truth about Mom and then quickly walked away." Casey said.

"That's all she said?" Tom asks, wondering what she meant about the truth about Margo.

"I don't really want to talk about Mom, or Jill, or anything else related to this whole mess. I've got homework I've got to work on."

"Are you going to be alright for a while? I have to go back to the office for a bit and see if I can talk to Jack or Hal regarding the Kramers case and I've got to work on the case for Doc's trial that starts next week." Tom says.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm going to work on my homework for a bit here and maybe go to bed early tonight. I've had a long day." Casey says.

"Alright, bud. I'll see you later." Tom says as he walks out the door.

Tom checks his cell phone to see if anybody has called, hoping that Margo would at least return his call to let him know how she's doing. He looks at it, disappointed, that Margo didn't call him back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Oakdale Police Department, Hal's office. 8 am.

Tom knocks on the door.

"Hey Tom, come on in." Hal says as the phone rings. "Let me take this real quick."

Hal answers the phone as Tom sits down,

"Lt. Munson, Oakdale PD," Hal says when he picks up the phone.

"Hi Hal, it's me, Margo. I thought I should let you know that I'm leaving for Martha's Vineyard in about two hours." Margo says.

Hal looks up and sees Tom sitting there.

"Thanks for letting me know. Can I call you back in about 20 minutes?" Hal asks.

"Yeah, I am doing some last-minute packing. I'll be here for another hour. I'll talk to you then" Margo says.

"Thanks. I'll talk to you soon. Bye." Hal says, mindful of Tom sitting there.

"Have you heard from Margo?" Tom asks.

"No, I haven't talked to her since I brought her home yesterday. Are you here about the Kramers case?" Hal asks.

"Yes. It looks like Margo left notes for Jack about what she uncovered in the beginning stages in the investigation. Is she going to be available if I need to call her to the stand at all?" Tom asks, looking at the file.

"No, Tom. She's not." Hal informs him.

"Why not, Hal? If she started the investigation, I need to be able to call her to the stand if need be." Tom retorts. "Hal, you know that if one detective starts an investigation and then turns it over to another detective that my office needs to be notified. You also know that detective needs to be available in the case that they need to be called to testify."

"Tom, you saw her yesterday. Margo obviously hasn't been feeling well. What I didn't tell you is that she's been this way for the past several weeks. All I can say is that her doctor told her that she needs to take it easy for a while and I agree with that assessment. She's been under a lot of stress for the past three months and I decided that it would be good for her right now to take some time off. I don't know if she's planning on holing herself up in the house for the next several weeks or if she's leaving town. I don't know. As of right now, she's on vacation. She's not available. Besides, I know you called yesterday and she believes that it was just a pretense to bug her about the separation papers." Hal tells him.

"No, I was concerned after seeing her yesterday. I do have to admit, she didn't look anything like herself. I didn't think the separation was going to be this hard on her." Tom says as his cell phone rings, seeing that it's Casey.

"Tom Hughes." Tom says as he answers the phone.

"Hey Dad, I'm in the nurse's office at school. We were playing flag football in gym class and I got my hand stepped on and the nurse thinks my finger is either dislocated or broken and she wants me to get it looked at by a doctor. I tried calling Mom's cell phone, but all I got was that her phone was temporarily shut off for the time being." Casey says, in between gasps.

"Yeah, I'll be right there, Case." Tom says as he gets up.

"I've got to go. It looks like Casey injured his hand or finger in gym class and it's bad enough that they want him to go get it looked at." Tom tells Hal as he grabs his brief case and coat from the other chair.

"Tom, I'm sorry that Margo's not available to testify. If her doctor tells her that she has to take it easy, then I have to abide by that—as her boss." Hal replies.

"I'll figure something out." Tom says as he walks out the door.

Hal grabs the phone and dials Margo's home phone number.

"Hey, Margo. It's me. Sorry about that. Tom was here and I didn't want him to know that you were going out of town for a while. He's not too happy that you're not going to be available for the Kramers case. I told him that I didn't know what your plans were, except that you were under doctor's orders to take it easy for a while." Hal says.

"Thanks. It's not going to matter to him anyway if I'm here or not. Besides, he doesn't need to know where I am going." Margo replies.

"So, when are you leaving for Martha's Vineyard?" Hal asks.

"I have to be at the airport here in about a half an hour. My flight takes off at 11:30 this morning." Margo replies. "I already talked to John and he's already talked to his doctor friend who deals with high risk pregnancies to let him know I am coming up and what my situation is. I already talked to Dr. Samuels this morning and she's alright with the trip. She thinks it will do me some good to be able to relax. I already picked up the refills of my meds that I am going to need while I am gone." Margo informs him.

"Good. By the way, your car is still here at the station. If you want me to, I can pick you up and take you to the airport and see you off." Hal suggests.

"That would be great. At least I can see you before you leave. By the way, when Tom was here, Casey called to let him know that he suffered a hand injury while in gym class and that he needed to go see a doctor. I thought I should let you know about that." Hal says.

"I hope it's not serious-something that requires surgery. But then, like he's going to want me around anyway. I'll see you when you get here." Margo says.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes" Hal says as he hangs up the phone.

"Margo's taking this separation harder than I thought." Hal thinks to himself as he leaves.

"Jack, I have got to take care of an errand. "I'll be back in about an hour." Hal tells Jack as he puts his jacket on.

"Hey, is Margo coming in at all today?" Jack asks, looking over at her desk.

"No, Jack. She's going to be gone for a couple of weeks. It has to do with her not feeling well for the past couple of weeks. Her doctor advised her to take some time off and that is what she's doing. Oh, and if Tom asks, do not say anything to him. Margo doesn't want him knowing." Hal replies.

"Is it her HCV?" Jack asks.

"It has something to do with it. I'll discuss it with you later. I've got to go." Hal says as he walks out the door.

Margo's house, 10:05 am:

Margo is at the house, making sure that she has packed everything she needs for the trip to Martha's Vineyard. She grabs the white envelope from the desk and sticks it in her purse when the doorbell rings. When she sees it's Hal, she lets him in.

"You know you don't have to do this for me. I was going to call for a cab when you offered to take me to the airport." Margo says.

"I know, but I figured that at least I would make sure that you got to the airport alright and see you off. By the way, are you aware that Doc's trial is starting tomorrow? They moved up the start date on that trial." Hal informs her.

"No. I wasn't aware of that. I have been deliberately trying to avoid anything that has to do with him or what has happened. So, it's better that I am leaving town today because of that, uh?" Margo replies as she sticks the new John Grisham paperback novel in her purse to read on the plane.

"Yes, I would definitely say it's a good thing. By the way, Jack was asking about you when I was leaving. Do you want me to tell him anything?" Hal asks as he brings Margo's suitcase over by the door.

"Just tell him that I need to get out of Oakdale for a while. Don't get into the details with him. I don't want to take the chance that he says something to Tom." Margo says as she puts on her shoes.

"Are you ready to go?" Hal asks.

"I am definitely ready to get out of Oakdale for a while." Margo tells him as she grabs her purse and turns the security alarm on before she walks out the door.

"I think the only thing I am really going to miss—besides my own bed—is you, Hal." Margo says as she locks the front door.

Hal brings her suitcase over to the car and puts it in the trunk. Margo gets in the passenger seat of the car.

"Hal, quick question for you?" Margo asks.

"Shoot." Hal replies as he gets in the driver's seat and starts the car.

"What are you going to do with my car?" Margo asks.

"Well, if you would like me too—I can keep it in my garage until you get back. That way, you know where it is." Hal suggests as he backs the car out of the driveway.

"If you don't mind." Margo implies, looking back at the now-empty house.

"No, I don't mind. I don't mind at all." Hal replies as he proceeds down Pinewood Lane towards the Oakdale Airport.

The Oakdale Airport is only a fifteen-minute drive from Margo's house. Margo looks out the passenger side window. As she watches the trees and the other houses go by, she thinks about Tom, how he doesn't know about the baby and that she's leaving town. She did this once before to him, when she couldn't confront either Hal or Tom when she couldn't tell either one of them that she was pregnant, and how Tom found her in Greece—pregnant and in labor. She knew this time was going to be very different, that Tom wasn't going to be looking for her. Then she thinks back to Tom lashing out at her after finding out, "I can't believe you would go so low and do this to me after everything that we have been through in the past several years. I can't believe you would do something like this to me…. Enough with the excuses, I have had it and I am done with you!"

The car coming to a stop at the passenger drop off area at the Oakdale Airport is enough to bring Margo back to reality.

"Hey, we're here." Hal says as he gets out of the car to get Margo's suitcase out of the trunk.

Margo grabs her purse and gets out of the car herself. She walks to the back of the car and takes her suitcase from Hal.

"I guess you're going to need this." Margo says as she takes the car key off her key ring to give to Hal.

"Thanks, even though I already have the spare." Hal tells her.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for the time being." Margo says as she smiles at Hal.

"For the time being. You have a safe flight and do me a favor, call me when you get to Martha's Vineyard." Hal implies.

"I will definitely do that. Take care of yourself." Margo tells Hal as she gives him a hug.

"You take care of yourself and that baby. Take it easy and get some rest. I'll see you when you get back." Hal says as he returns the hug.

Margo lets go, then grabs the handle of her suitcase. As she walks toward the entrance of the airport, she looks back and waves to Hal. He waves back to her as he leans against the car, thinking to himself that she shouldn't rush coming back. Hal gets back into the car and heads back towards his house, to drop off Margo's car, and take the squad car back to the station.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Oakdale District Attorney's office, 7:30 am:

Tom is sitting there at his desk, having come in early knowing that today was the day of opening arguments in Doc's rape trial. He was reviewing his notes when he stops and eyes the picture of him and Margo taken the night that they renewed their wedding vows. After everything that has happened over the past several months, he still couldn't bring himself to remove that picture. Seeing Margo for the first time in two months, looking pale and withdrawn, had been on his mind. He couldn't get over the thought that there could be something wrong with her and she was clearly avoiding him. He went so far as to ask Hal, but he wouldn't tell him anything—telling Tom that it wouldn't matter to him anyway if Margo was sick or not. He called and left a message for Margo, but he was disappointed that she didn't return the phone call.

Tom picks up the phone and calls her desk at the Oakdale police station, hoping she would pick up the phone. His hopes are quickly dashed when it goes to voice mail, playing the following greeting:

"You've reached the desk of Detective Margo Hughes with the Oakdale Police Department. I apologize for missing your phone call. I am not going to be available for the time being. If your call is urgent, please contact my partner, Detective Jack Snyder, or the chief of detectives, Lt. Hal Munson. Please do not leave a message, as I will not be checking them while I am away."

Disappointed, Tom hangs up the phone as he hears a knock on the door. He looks up and sees his dad, Bob, standing there in the doorway.

"Hey son, I just wanted to come by and see if you have talked to Margo at all regarding the wedding." Bob says.

"Hi, Dad. No, I haven't. I haven't talked to her in a couple of months. I did see her the other day as she was walking out of the police station with Hal. She wasn't looking like herself. She looked pale and withdrawn. She barely acknowledged that I was there." Tom says.

"Do you think this separation is hard on her?" Bob asks as he sits down.

"From what I saw the other day, Dad, I think she's taking it pretty hard. I asked Hal. He said that she's been working an awful lot and barely taking any time off. Then he mentioned to me that she's not been feeling well for a while now and that her doctor told her that she needs to take it easy. I tried asking what is wrong and all Hal would tell me is that he couldn't tell me anything and that it wouldn't matter to me anyway. I stopped by the house and I left as soon as I saw Margo put her head on Hal's shoulder. I called, but all I got was the answering machine and I left her a message. Hal said that she thought it was just a pretense to bug her about the separation papers. I tried calling her this morning at work and her voice mail greeting said that she was going to be unavailable for some time and not to leave a message." Tom says as he runs his fingers through his hair. "Dad, there is either something wrong with her or there is something that she's not telling anybody—especially me."

"Seeing Margo is obviously bothering you, son. You still care about her, right?" Bob implies, careful not to let Tom know about Margo and the baby.

"Of course I do, she's Casey's mother. Lien considers to her to be a second mother. Seeing her like that reminded me of right before she was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. I hope her HCV isn't bothering her to the point it's making her sick, Dad. I tried finding out, but she's obviously not letting me know and Hal knows more than he's telling me." Tom says as he gets out of his chair and walks toward the window.

"You don't think she and Hal are getting a lot closer since you two separated, do you?" Bob asks.

"I don't know, Dad. Part of me wants to go over to the house and talk to her—to find out what's going on. After her liver transplant, Margo was told by her doctors that she needs to be careful when it comes to stress. I know this separation isn't easy on her, Dad. So, what does she do—she throws herself into her work and works a lot, not taking anytime off. What if this makes her so sick to the point where she's back in the hospital again? I don't know what to do. I want to reach out to her and find out if she's okay, but I don't know if that will do any good. Margo has been going out of her way to literally avoid me. She went so far as to have Jack take over an investigation and not notify me about it, like she knows she supposed to." Tom says as he goes back over to the chair and sits down. "Then seeing her the other day, with Hal putting his arm around her shoulder, seeing Margo put her head on his shoulder at the house. I don't know what to think."

"Son, hopefully you and Margo will work your way back to each other. You did it before. Both of you are dealing with a lot of pain and hurt right now. Maybe giving her some space isn't such a bad idea." Bob says as he puts his hand on Tom's shoulder to try to reassure him.

"It's already been a couple of months, how much longer am I supposed to go around thinking that something's wrong with her and I am not able to find out?" Tom asks.

"I don't know what to tell you on that one, Tom. I know it's not easy, but maybe she's just not ready to face you at this time. I guess that since you haven't talked to her, she isn't going to be at the wedding." Bob says.

"No, I don't think she's going to be there." Tom says, looking at his watch. "Thanks for stopping by. I have to be in court here in about 30 minutes. Doc Reese's trial was moved up and the jury has already been seated, so that means I have opening arguments this morning."

"You're welcome. Why don't you give me a call when you're done with court for the day and maybe you and Casey could join Kim and me for dinner tonight?" Bob suggests.

"That'll be great, it's my night to have Daniel—so if you don't mind him coming along, too." Tom says, closing his briefcase.

"No, of course not, he's more than welcome to join us. I'll talk to you later, son. Remember; don't beat yourself up too much over this. It will take some time." Bob says as he walks toward the door. "By the way, good luck in court."

"Thanks, Dad. I'll talk to you later." Tom says as Bob walks out the door.

"Maybe he's right; she's not ready to face me." Tom thinks to himself as he grabs his suitcase and heads to court.

Java, 8:00 am:

Casey is sitting at a table with his morning usual, a banana nut muffin and vanilla iced coffee, his left hand having been in a cast for the past couple of days since breaking the ring finger and a bone in his left hand playing flag football. In between bites, he's been trying to manage to get caught up on his reading for his Advanced American History class. Chris walks in, orders a coffee, and notices Casey.

"Hey Case, what's up with the hand?" Chris asks as he grabs his coffee and sits down.

"I managed to bust up a finger and a bone in my hand playing flag football in gym class two days ago. Yeah, yeah! I know, nice timing with the wedding being next week" Casey replies.

"Are you going to need surgery at all on it?" Chris asks, trying to inspect the cast.

"I go see a hand specialist next week. The doc in the ER said that I need to wait at least a week for the swelling to go down. I'll find out then." Casey tells him as he takes a gulp of his coffee.

"Have you seen your mom at all lately? I've tried calling her yesterday about the wedding. Her cell phone is temporarily shut off and when I call the house, I get the machine. I was hoping to find out if she's going to be at the wedding because Ali and I really want her there, with everything that has been going on." Chris states.

"No, sorry man, I haven't seen her since Dad and I moved out of the house. Dad saw her about three days ago and said that she wasn't looking real good—like she was sick again. I hope it's not that. It was so hard on everybody when she was really sick the first time and came close to dying. I tried calling her the other day when I did this, and all I got was the same thing you got with the cell phone." Casey says.

"I have a favor to ask of you. You have Grandpa Chris's pocket watch, don't you?" Chris asks.

"Yeah, I do. What's up?" Casey inquires.

"I was wondering if you were going to have it with you at the wedding. Ali and I were planning on having a small table set up at the church with a picture of her late grandfather, Dan, and Grandpa Chris. Ali's going to have his favorite gold chain hanging on the picture frame. I was wondering if we could possibly put the pocket watch by Grandpa Chris's picture—just a way of acknowledging them. You'll get it back after the ceremony." Chris informs his nephew.

"Yeah, that would be a great way to do that. Not a problem, I'll have to go over to the house to get it because I left it over there. Hey, I've got to get to school. I didn't go yesterday because of the hand. Later, man." Casey says as he gets up and fumbles his book into his bag.

"Do you need help with that?" Chris asks.

"Nah, I've got it. I've been managing. Thanks anyway. You're not going to have a problem with the cast?" Casey asks.

"No, it's understandable." Chris says.

"Well, I'll see ya later then." Casey says as he grabs his bag.

"Later Case." Chris says as Casey leaves to head off for class.

Chris disappointed from hearing that Margo's not going to be at the wedding, pulls his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and calls Alison.

"Hey hon. what time do you have class this morning?" Chris asks.

"I don't. Class was cancelled for this morning and I promised Mom that I was going to go over to the hospital and work on some lab files for her this morning. What's up?" Alison asks after answering her phone.

"Well, I just spoke to Casey. You know that Mom and Dad have tried talking Margo into attending the wedding, but to no luck. Casey hasn't spoken to her since he and Tom moved out of the house. The weird thing is that her cell phone is temporarily shut off and she's not answering the home phone. Casey and I came to the conclusion that she's not attending the wedding." Chris informs his fiancée.

"I'll have to talk to Emily and Jennifer about something else for something borrowed, then. Margo was going to lend me the bracelet that Tom gave her when they got married. Is everything alright with Margo? I know that she and Tom have separated." Alison says as she shakes her hair from the towel.

"We don't know. Casey told me that Tom saw her the other day and she wasn't looking so good. He said that Tom described to him that she looked as sick as she did when she was first diagnosed and right before she had her liver transplant. Nobody's been able to get a hold of her lately. Casey even tried when he broke a finger and a bone in his left hand a couple of days ago." Chris tells her.

"I'll figure the something borrowed out. I'll talk to Mom when I see her at the hospital to see if she has any last-minute ideas. I have to go get ready. I'll talk to you later, I love you." Alison tells him.

"I love you, too. I'll talk to you later. Bye." Chris says, and then hangs up the phone. He gets up, grabs his coffee, and leaves to go start his shift at Memorial.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Oakdale Municipal Court, day after opening arguments—10:30 am.

It was the first full day of testimony in the Doc Reese rape trial. Opening arguments by both sides took up the morning. Testimony by the victim, Cami Gaborik, took up the afternoon and for the first two hours of court this morning. Tom was in charge of the prosecution and the trial has gone smoothly so far. The only technicality was that Margo turned the investigation over to Jack because of having been a rape victim herself. The technicality had Jack on the stand for the remainder of the morning.

Tom had been informed before court began this morning that Dr. Samuels was going to have to postpone her testimony until the next day because of a patient going into labor that morning. As a result of that development, Tom calls Jill to the stand.

"Will you please state your name for the record?" Tom asks Jill right after she's sworn in.

"Jill Ann Elise Anders" Jill replies.

"What is your connection to Doc Reese and the Oakdale Country Club?" Tom asks.

"I used to work as a waitress and hostess at the Oakdale Country Club. Occasionally, I would be asked to show high profile guests around the grounds and be assigned to take care of their accounts. That is how I met Doc Reese." Jill states.

"So, you used to work at the Oakdale Country Club, correct?" Tom asks, as he walks toward the witness stand.

"Yes, I used to work for OCC. I was fired shortly after Mrs. Gaborik was raped in the women's locker room." Jill replies.

"Why were you fired?" Tom asks.

"I was fired because stolen property belonging to OCC members was found in my locker and they had suspected I had stolen money from the safe and the cash register." Jill replies, quietly.

"Were you charged with possession of stolen property or theft?" Tom asks.

"Objection. This is not relevant to my client's case." Kent Wylers, Doc's attorney, states standing up.

"Your honor, I am trying to establish a connection between the witness and the defendant." Tom interjects.

"Overruled. The prosecution has a right to establish the connection. Miss Anders, please answer the question." Judge O'Reilly instructs.

"I was charged with possession of stolen property and burglary." Jill replies.

"Where did you get the stolen property?" Tom asks.

"The defendant gave it to me after having come out of the women's locker room and asked me to hang on to it." Jill states, wiping her hands on her pants as they become sweaty.

"What did the defendant give you?" Tom asks.

"Mr. Reese gave me Mrs. Gaborik's wedding ring, bracelet, and wallet. He said that he needed me to hang on to them for safe keeping, and then headed towards the men's locker room. I went to the employee's locker room and put the items in my bag—which was in my locker." Jill states.

"Did you see anybody come out of the women's locker room after the defendant?" Tom asks.

"Yes, I saw Cami Gaborik kind of stumbling out. She looked like she had been beaten up and she had asked for someone to call police." Jill states.

"Was that before or after you went to the employee's locker room?" Tom asks.

"That was right before." Jill answers.

"Do you know who called for help?" Tom asks.

"No, I don't. I did see Mandi and Cara rush over to Mrs. Gaborik." Jill states.

"Back to the theft and stolen property, did Doc ever say anything to you about stealing money or property?" Tom asks.

"We had talked about it one afternoon, about a couple of weeks before Mrs. Gaborik was raped. He had just been fired from his job as the sports anchor at WOAK. Doc had said something to me how he needed money and that he wanted to stick around in Oakdale, but the job prospects were pretty much nothing at that point. I had mentioned to him that I could try to get him a job at the OCC. In addition to that, we had talked about different ways for him to get some quick money and that is when we talked about me trying to take money out of the safe and the cash registers, when I had the opportunity—like at closing time. Stealing property, I didn't know anything about that." Jill informs the court.

"What kind of job?" Tom asks.

"I was able to convince Erica Langdon, the manager, to hire Mr. Reece as a tennis instructor." Jill replies.

"What about the charges that you are currently facing, Miss Anders? What is the status of your case?" Tom asks, walking back towards the prosecutor's table.

"I agreed to a plea bargain in exchange to testify against Mr. Reece. I pled guilty to one count of burglary and to one count of possession of stolen property. In exchange for my testimony, the accessory to rape charge was dropped." Jill states.

"Did Doc ever say anything to you about why he wanted to stay in Oakdale?" Tom asks.

"Yes, he did. Mr. Reese told me that there was a woman that he had seen around town that caught his eye. Mr. Reese really took a quick liking to her and I had actually seen them sitting down and talking a couple of times." Jill replies.

"Do you know of any other instances in which Mr. Reese might have tried to force himself on another woman?" Tom asks.

"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. It's an incident that took place about a week before Mrs. Gaborik was raped, and it also took place in the women's locker room." Jill replies, quietly.

"Objection. Nothing's been reported of this incident. It should be considered pure speculation at this point." Mr. Wylers states.

"Your Honor, if the witness knows of another incident, then testimony should be allowed to prove that the defendant has tried once before to rape another woman." Tom says, standing up.

"I will allow the testimony to continue. Miss Anders, please continue." Judge O'Reilly says, looking over at Jill.

"I was working at the bar when a member's husband had walked up, looking for his wife. I had told the man that his wife had just gone into the locker room. He asked me if she had a tab open at all. I informed him that his wife had ordered something before her tennis match and that it hadn't been closed out. He paid the tab, then asked me to go let his wife know that he was here looking for her. I walked into the women's locker room. I heard some commotion, so I didn't go all the way in. I heard the woman tell Doc that this has to stop; she can't go on with this. She went on to tell him that she's married, she has a family and she can't go any further. That's when I saw Doc try to undo the woman's shirt. The woman kept telling him to stop. Doc said to her "Come on baby, you know you want this. Don't deny me this chance to be with you. You know I will rock your world." The woman pushed him away, telling him that she is absolutely not interested and to leave her alone. That is when I saw Doc forcibly grab her and push her up against the wall. After I saw that, I walked in to let the woman know her husband was here looking for her. As I was proceeding to walk out of the locker room, Doc caught up with me and told me I didn't see what just happened." Jill states.

"Why didn't you report this incident to your manager or anybody?" Tom asks.

"Like I just said, Doc caught up with me after I was walking out of the locker room and told me that I didn't see what just happened. He told me that she wanted him and she was denying it. Doc also told me that if I told anybody what happened in the locker room that he was going to report me for the thefts." Jill says.

"So, you ignored the incident—like it never happened?" Tom asks.

"I didn't report it to anybody, if that is what you mean. In addition, after closing for the night, I went into the office and went through the surveillance tape from the women's locker room. After I saw that the incident between Doc and the woman was on that tape, I took it. I actually have it right here." Jill states to the court as she pulls the video tape from her purse and hands it to Tom.

"Do you know who the woman is that Doc tried forcing himself onto?" Tom asks as he takes the tape from Jill.

"Yes, I do. You know her pretty well yourself." Jill states.

"Who is it?" Tom asks as he gives her a puzzled look.

"The woman that Doc was trying to force himself on in the locker room as I walked in was your wife, Margo Hughes." Jill states.

Tom stands there for a second, not believing what he had just heard.

"What you're trying to tell me is that Doc Reese tried forcing himself on my wife?" Tom asks, with an anger tone in his voice.

"Yes." Jill states quietly. "Doc told me that if I make up some lie—like I saw her making out with him, that he'll have even a better shot of hooking up with her. Doc said that you hated him because he was flirting too much and constantly trying to hit on Margo—that if I told you that I saw her all over Doc that you would probably get mad enough and walk out on her. He said that is what he wanted to stay around in Oakdale for. There's more to this, too."

"Go on, Miss Anders." Judge O'Reilly instructs her.

"Shortly after I was fired from the Oakdale Country Club, Erica went and filed a police report against me after the items taken from Mrs. Gaborik had been found in my locker and that I was caught on surveillance tape stealing money from the cash register—which led to the charges being filed. I was brought in to be questioned and your wife turned out to be the investigating officer."

"Objection. This has nothing to do with my client or his case." Mr. Wylers states.

"Your Honor, I would like to hear what she has to say because of my wife. If it has to be off the record, so be it." Tom interjects.

"The witness will proceed. Miss Hankinson, this will be off the record." Judge O'Reilly states.

"Margo—Detective Hughes, I should say, questioned me about Mrs. Gaborik's belongings that were in my bag and about the money I stole out of the cash registers. After she was finished and waiting for a uniform officer to bring me down to a holding cell, she told me that she had a few words for me." Jill says, looking down at her hands. "Detective Hughes told me that I better be telling the truth about the stolen property and the money because she knows of another incident in which I lied about. She told me that what I had told you about me seeing her kissing Doc and being all over him was an absolute lie. She then told me that because of my lies, her family is basically destroyed—that you and your son moved out. She told me that her son told her that he doesn't want anything to do with her and that because of me and my lies, your marriage is basically over. Detective Hughes then told me that because of my lies and how my lies destroyed her marriage and her family, that you don't know that she's pregnant and she doesn't know if she would ever be able to tell you."

"What did you just say?" Tom asks, not sure about what he had just heard.

"What are you referring to?" Jill asks.

"Did I just hear you say that Detective Hughes is pregnant?" Tom asks as he walks over to the witness stand.

"Yes, I just said that she told me that she's pregnant with your child." Jill states loud enough for Tom to hear her correctly.

Tom walks back over to the prosecutor's table, in shock over what he had just heard.

"Your Honor, I would like to ask the court to be adjourned until tomorrow morning, so that my office and the Oakdale Police Department has enough time to view this tape that the witness just gave me." Tom implies, trying to control his emotions.

"I will honor that request. Do you know if Dr. Samuels will be able to give her testimony tomorrow?" Judge O'Reilly asks.

"I received a message from her just after lunch stating that she will be available to testify tomorrow morning." Tyler Ramsey, Oakdale Assistant D.A., says to the judge standing up.

"Court is adjourned until 9:30 tomorrow morning." Judge O'Reilly says, raising the gavel.

"All rise, court is adjourned." The bailiff states as everyone in the court room stands up.

After Judge O'Reilly leaves the bench, Tom sits down and puts his head in his hands.

"Are you okay there, Tom?" Tyler asks.

"No, I am not. I now just find out that Margo was telling the truth all along. I can't believe this is happening. I left my wife because I believed someone else's lies over what my own wife was saying. Now, not only do I find out my wife was telling the truth about what happened, she's pregnant and she couldn't tell me. I have to go." Tom says as he stands up.

"What are going to do—go find Margo?" Tyler asks.

"I don't know. Casey said that when he tried calling her cell phone the other day when he broke his hand and finger that he got a recording that her cell phone was temporarily shut off. I tried calling her desk at the station yesterday and the greeting said that she was going to be away for some time and she's not going to be checking messages. I called her last week after seeing her for the first time in two months and all I got was the answering machine. I do need to talk with Casey about this. I can't take off right now if Margo's not in town because of the trial and Casey has an appointment with a hand specialist tomorrow afternoon to see if he needs surgery. On top of that, my brother's wedding is next weekend. I don't know what I am going to do, Tyler, I just don't know." Tom says.

"First of all, go talk to Casey. If you want me too, I can question Dr. Samuels when she testifies tomorrow—if that will make things easier on you. You might also need some time to get over the shock about what you just heard in court today." Tyler says.

"Thanks. I'll let you know in the morning. I need to go talk to Casey." Tom says as he grabs his briefcase and walks out of the court room.

As Tom is walking back to his office, alone, he grabs his cell phone out of his pocket and dials Casey's phone—getting the voice mail.

"Hey Case, it's Dad. Listen, I need to talk to you about something and it's about your mom. I would really like to talk to you about this in person. Please call me back and let me know when you're going to be back at the suite." Tom says, and then hangs up the phone.

Tom walks into the Oakdale District's Attorney's office. As he walks back towards where his office is, he sees his long-time secretary, Annette, getting ready to head home for the day.

"Tom, this came for you while you were in court this afternoon. I'll see you in the morning. Lt. Munson also came by looking for you. He said that it was regarding the Kramers investigation. Good night." Annette says as she puts on her suit jacket.

"Thanks, Annette. I'll try giving Lt. Munson a call during recess tomorrow." Tom says as he takes the envelope from Annette. "Good night." 

Tom walks into his office and tosses his brief case into one of the chairs, then sits down behind his desk. He opens the envelope and finds the separation papers that he had Margo served with—signed. He finds another piece of paper with her wedding ring taped to it. He opens it up and finds this note from Margo:

"Tom,

I remember the day I got this ring back after the rape. You told me you bought this ring to serve as a constant reminder of how much I mean to you. I also remember the night that we renewed our wedding vows when you put this ring back on my finger, telling me that you couldn't stand to see this ring not on where it belonged.

However, this ring also serves as a painful reminder of what we had and of you walking out. I now realize that you and Casey have no intentions on ever coming back, that you don't want anything to do with me ever again. It is going to take some time for me to accept that our marriage is over—that you believe there is no chance in trying to save it and possibly move on from this.

I thought it would be best to return this ring to you since it doesn't symbolize anything to me or us anymore.

I signed the separation papers because it's what you wanted.

Margo."

Tom unfolds the separation papers and finds that Margo did sign them.

"She's out there—alone and pregnant—and she believes our marriage is over. I can't believe I was so naïve to believe Jill over my own wife." Tom thinks to himself as he puts his head in his hands, the tears starting to form in his eyes.

The phone rings at his desk.

"Tom Hughes" Tom says as he answers the phone.

"Hey son, where are you? Kim and I have Daniel and Casey over here at our house. Casey was at Daniel's soccer practice and told him about having dinner with us tonight, so Emily saved you a trip and gave them a ride over here." Bob says.

"Hi, Dad. Sorry about that. I just got out of court. I do have something I need to talk to you about and it's about Margo. I don't want to get into it on the phone." Tom says.

"Why don't you come over here, have some dinner, see your boys. We can talk. It doesn't sound too good." Bob implies.

"No, Dad. It's not. I am leaving here right now, and I will be over in a few minutes." Tom says and then hangs up.

Tom puts the ring and the note in his inside jacket pocket and the separation papers in his briefcase. "I am not going to file these." He says to himself as he grabs his briefcase, then walks out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

The drive from Tom's office over to his dad's house seemed like it had taken an eternity. Tom couldn't get what he heard in court about Margo and the baby out of his head.

"_Detective Hughes then told me that because of my lies and how my lies destroyed her marriage and her family, that you don't know that she's pregnant and she doesn't know if she would ever be able to tell you."_

"_What did you just say?" Tom asks, not sure about what he had just heard._

"_What are you referring to?" Jill asks._

"_Did I just hear you say that Detective Hughes is pregnant?" Tom asks as he walks over to the witness stand._

"_Yes, I just said that she told me that she's pregnant with your child." Jill states loud enough for Tom to hear her correctly."_

Tom was still shocked about what he had heard in court. "Why didn't she tell me?" He thought to himself as he pulled into the driveway of his dad's house.

Bob walks out the front door when he sees Tom pull up in the driveway.

"Son, are you okay?" Bob asks, as he walks over to Tom.

"No, Dad. I am not. I just got the shock of my life today in court. Can I talk to you about this in private?" Tom asks as he gets out the car.

"Yes, definitely. Why don't you come inside and see Casey and Daniel, get something to drink and we can go talk in the den before dinner." Bob says.

Tom gets out his car and walks in the house, silent. He is having a hard time dealing with what he was told in court today about Margo. His thoughts are interrupted when Daniel comes running up to him.

"Hey Dad! When are we going to move back to the house? I don't like the Lakeview and I miss Margo. Gavin and Max keep asking me when they can come over to your house with me and I keep telling them that I stay with you at the Lakeview." Daniel says.

"I don't know, son. I know you miss Margo. I miss her too. Right now, there are some things I need to figure out with Margo and those are going to take some time." Tom says as he walks over to the couch with Daniel. "I'm hoping soon, but I don't know. I am sure if you talk to Grandpa and Grandma Kim, I am sure that they would allow you guys to come over here if you don't like the Lakeview."

"Daniel, I think Casey's outside right now with Lucky and Spike in the backyard. Why don't you go outside and join him so your dad and I can talk about some grown-up stuff?" Bob says.

"Okay, Grandpa. Is dinner almost done?" Daniel asks as he gets up off the couch.

"Kim will call you guys in when it's ready." Bob says. "Tom, do you want anything, a glass of wine?"

"I shouldn't with the boys; an ice water will be fine." Tom says.

Bob puts some ice in a glass and hands Tom an open bottle of water.

"You said to me on the phone that you needed to talk to me and it's about Margo." Bob says as he sits down in the leather chair near the couch.

"Yeah, Dad, I did and I don't know how I am going to ever forgive myself for this one." Tom says as he pours some of the water into the glass. "I don't know if Margo is ever going to forgive me either."

"What happened? You said it wasn't good when I called earlier." Bob says with a look of concern on his face.

"I found out today in court that Margo told me the truth about what happened between her and Doc Reese in the locker room at the country club. I called Jill Anders to the stand and she testified that Doc had tried forcing himself on Margo about a week before he raped Cami Gaborik. Not only that, Dad, she handed me the surveillance tape from that afternoon. Jill told me that what she had originally told me—about Doc and Margo getting passionate in the locker room—was all a lie and she made it up at Doc's urging.

How could I have been so stupid?" Tom asks, leaning his head back on the couch.

"Did you ever give Margo the benefit of the doubt—that she was telling you the truth at the time?" Bob asks.

"No, Dad, I didn't. That whole night—me lashing out at Margo the way I did and leaving the house in a fit of rage—I realize now I was acting so impulsively. I should have questioned it when I thought I saw a bruise on Margo's arm, looking like she had been grabbed—the ones similar on her arms the night she was raped at the liquor store. I never even gave her the chance to even try to explain it. I just had to get out of there, away from her, away from what I kept constantly hearing in my head—Jill telling me that she walked in on them making out. Now, thinking back, I wish I would have." Tom says as he gets up from the couch and walks over to the window overlooking the backyard, where Casey and Daniel are playing with Lucky and Spike. "Margo was telling the truth the entire time about what happened and the one person who is supposed to believe her, me, didn't."

"Tom, there are things we do that we wish we could go back and do things differently. Believe me; I learned that lesson the hard way several times in my life. I look back and there are things that I wish I could go back and change with you—not paying so much attention to my career that it almost pushed you totally away. There are things I would have done different with Kim, but we can't go back and change that. Does Margo even know what happened? How about Casey, does he know?" Bob asks.

"No, neither of them knows. Casey told me the morning when he broke the bone in his hand and his finger that he tried calling Margo, but he got a recording saying that her cell phone had been shut off temporarily. When you came to my office the morning of opening arguments in Doc's trial, I tried calling her at the station and all I got was her voice mail saying that she was going to be away and not to leave a message. At the house, all I get is the answering machine. How am I even going to tell her this—if she even talks to me? Casey doesn't even know yet, either. I plan on talking to him tonight after we go back to the Lakeview. Dad, I don't even know how I am going to tell him or how he's going to take it." Tom says running his hands through his hair.

"Son, if it makes it easier for you, I can be there when you tell him. That's if you want me to." Bob suggests. "It's not going to be easy on either one of you."

"Ah Dad, I don't know what to do at this point. I know I need to talk to Margo. The only thing I am scared of at this point is for her and the baby. By the way, I found out she's also pregnant and she couldn't tell me. I don't need to get her all stressed out—that's the last thing that she needs to deal with. Now I know that could be part of the reason why she looked pale when I saw her with Hal." Tom says.

'When did you find out that she's pregnant?" Bob asks.

"Today, when Jill told me that what she told me about what she saw between Doc and Margo was a lie. She stated that Margo was the investigating detective on the Oakdale Country Club thefts and while Margo was waiting for a uniformed officer to take Jill back down to the holding cell that Margo told her that she was pregnant and she couldn't even let me know about it. I don't know how far along she is or when she found out. Dad, I don't even know if she's even in Oakdale right now." Tom says as he walks back over to the couch.

"I know this is rough on you son, finding all this out—and this is a lot to deal with right now. I do need to let you know that Margo, herself, told me she's pregnant. She came looking for me because she needed to talk to me about what her doctor said and she was quite upset about it. This was about two months ago. She had known about the baby for at least a month. Margo had told me what happened, that you and Casey moved out before she had the chance to tell you about the baby." Bob says as he walks over to the leather chair next to the couch.

"So, Margo told you?" Tom asks.

"Yes, she did. Kim knows, too, and she had asked both of us not to say anything to you, she wanted to be the one to tell you, she was working on the courage to tell you. Like I told you, she came to me because she wanted to talk to me about what her doctor had said that had upset her, pretty badly." Bob states.

"What did her doctor say that upset her?" Tom asks.

"Margo told me that Dr. Bartlett wanted her to consider terminating the pregnancy." Bob states.

"Dr. Bartlett wanted her to terminate the pregnancy? Why on earth would he say something like that? Dad, we wanted a second child together for so long after Casey was born. I remember sitting there in Dr. Samuels's office after Margo was raped and we found out about Nevins being HIV positive. Margo told her that we wanted to try to have another baby and Dr. Samuels told us that we should wait six months—for the HIV tests. I still remember to this day how emotionally shattered she was after she suffered her last miscarriage—the night I was with Emily. She was pretty much resigned to the fact that we weren't going to have another child together. It took her a while to accept the fact that Daniel was my child with Emily. It must be hard on her with that she couldn't tell me, but for someone to tell her that she could consider terminating the pregnancy…Dad, I don't see how someone could be so cold in saying something like that." Tom says, "Do you think that this could be part of the reason why she's been avoiding me?"

"I don't know, son, I honestly don't know. Margo asked me if she could talk to me about this and about seeking a second opinion. She told me that she couldn't live with herself if she ended it. The last miscarriage obviously still bothers her to this date. We went in my office and talked about it. Margo was aware of how this pregnancy could affect her HCV and with her liver transplant, that the anti-rejection medication she's on could affect the baby's development. I suggested that she make an appointment with Dr. Samuels to discuss this and if it would make things easier on her, to have a friendly face there, I offered to go to the appointment with her. Margo made the appointment and I went with her. Dr. Samuels said that terminating the pregnancy was an option, but that was going to the extreme. She also explained to Margo that she could go through with the pregnancy, but it was going to be classified as a high-risk pregnancy and she and the baby were going to be closely monitored. There is a risk that Margo could pass the HCV to the baby. Another factor is her age. She arranged for Margo to meet with a different transplant doctor to determine what changes in her medications were going to be needed." Bob tells his son. "Now that you know about the pregnancy, you needed to be aware of the situation. It's important that when you do talk with Margo, that you both don't try to get her all stressed out over the situation between you too."

"Dad, I don't know what to do. I know I have to tell Casey about this. This isn't going to be easy on him either—finding out that his mom was telling me the truth about what happened and now that she's pregnant. Dad, she's probably somewhere—alone when she shouldn't be. It's entirely my fault. It's my fault, she's out there. I don't even know about how to go about this and try to make it alright with her." Tom says as he puts his head in his hands, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Tom, you and Margo both have a lot of pain and a lot of emotion to work through. When you do talk to her, it's not going to all be resolved in a matter of minutes or overnight. It's going to take some time and a lot of talking to resolve this. You said that she admitted kissing Doc, right, and how you felt about finding out about that. She's hurting too, with you not believing what she told you about Doc forcing himself onto her. That alone right there has to be bringing up a lot of pain and memories of her rape that she's had to deal with all over again. I honestly believe you two will find some way to get through this. You and Margo worked your way back to each other after the whole ordeal with Emily and Alec. Son, it's going to take some time. You have to believe that." Bob says as he tries to reassure his son by putting his hand on Tom's shoulder.

"What if she doesn't want to talk to me about this, Dad? What am I supposed to do, then?" Tom asks, with tears in his eyes.

"Let's just take this one step at a time right now. Let's get some dinner. Then, you need to talk with Casey about this. If it makes it any easier for you, I can be there when you talk to him. It's not going to be easy on him, either, finding all this out." Bob says.

"Hi guys, I don't mean to interrupt. Dinner's ready. Tom, do you want me to call in the boys?" Kim says as she walks over to where her husband and stepson are sitting.

"No, Kim. I can do that. Thanks." Tom says as he gets up from the couch and walks over to the French doors, leading outside.

"Is Tom okay?" Kim asks, watching Tom walk away.

"No, dear, he's not. He just found out today in court that Margo not only told him the truth about what happened between her and Doc, he also found out about the baby and that Margo couldn't bring herself to tell him." Bob says.

During dinner, Tom is quiet—just listening to the conversation between Bob, Kim, and his boys. Casey asks Bob a couple of questions in regard to his upcoming hand specialist appointment. Kim looks over to Tom, seeing him sitting there-looking like he's lost in his thoughts.

"Tom, do you want to talk about it?" Kim asks quietly after she gets up and walks over to him.

"I don't want to talk about it around the boys right now." Tom replies, looking up at his stepmother.

"If you want to talk, your dad and I are here." Kim states as she puts her hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Kim." Tom replies as he puts his hand on top of hers, "I have to talk to Casey about this. Dad offered to be there when I do talk to him."

"Grandma Kim, where would you like me to put my dirty dishes?" Daniel asks as he gets up from the table.

"If you can manage to rinse the plate off and put it right next to the sink that would be great." Kim says, looking over at Daniel as he walks over to the sink with his plate and silverware.

"Casey, do you want to go back out and play with Lucky and Spike?" Daniel asks.

"Hey, bud, I need to talk to Casey about something." Tom interjects, looking up at his sons.

"Dad, what's going on?" Casey asks, looking at his dad and grandfather.

"Casey, there is something about your mom that I need to talk to you about. Daniel, Case will be out in a few minutes. Why don't you go on ahead outside and play with Lucky and Spike?" Tom says.

"Come on, Daniel. Why don't we grab their leashes and take them for a walk while your grandpa and dad talk to Casey?" Kim asks.

"Yeah, I like that idea, Kim." Daniel says walking over to grab his soccer pullover from the hook next to the door.

Kim and Daniel head outside with the leashes to take Lucky and Spike for a walk, so they can give Tom, Bob, and Casey some space.

"Dear, we'll be back in a little while." Kim says as she's about to shut the back door behind her as Bob waves.

"Dad, Grandpa, what is this about and what does mom have to do with it?" Casey asks.

"Bud, this isn't going to be easy." Tom says as he runs his hands through his hair. "Casey, remember how I told you that your mom told me that Doc tried forcing himself on her after she kissed him and that I told you that there was something more to what she was telling me and that I didn't believe her."

"Yeah, Dad, I do. You were pretty angry about it. You told me that was the reason why you were moving out and I told you that I was going to go with you." Casey tells his dad, giving him a questioning look. "What's going on here? Does it have anything to do with you seeing Mom last week?"

"Casey, it does. There's more to this. Remember when you told me about running into Jill and she said something to you about the truth about your mom?" Tom asks.

"I do. I blew her off like what would she know about what happened." Casey tells Bob and Casey.

"Well, Casey, Jill knew more than what she told me about seeing your mom and Doc." Tom says.

"What do you mean by that?" Casey asks.

"I had to call Jill to the stand today to testify against Doc in his rape trial. She was the one that had the victim's belongings that Doc had given her. Jill testified that Doc tried forcing himself on another woman a week before the attack in which he's being charged. Jill testified that she had walked in on Doc trying to force himself on another woman and she was telling him no. Jill walked in and that's when he stopped. The woman that Doc tried forcing himself on was your mom. Your mom was telling the truth all along and I didn't believe her, Casey. I walked out on your mom and she was telling the truth. I am sorry." Tom says as he hangs his head down, ashamed of what he just told his son.

"What?" Casey angrily asks, "You mean mom was telling the truth all along and you believed a waitress over mom! Dad, why?"

"Case, I was reeling over what I thought was the truth—that Jill told me she walked in on your mom and Doc making out. I thought your mom was lying to me about this. I acted impulsively on this. I didn't give your mom the benefit of the doubt or ask her about what happened. I…" Tom says, trying to maintain his composure, "I just snapped at her. I kept hearing what Jill told me over and over in my mind and I just walked out. I just walked out."

"How are you sure that Jill's telling the truth now?" Casey asks, with tears welling in his eyes.

"Jill handed me a surveillance tape when she was on the stand. She took it from the Oakdale Country Club that night. The whole incident is on the tape. Tyler Ramsey watched it and left me a voice mail letting me know that Jill was telling the truth about Doc trying to force himself on your mom. Casey, there's more to this…" Tom says, trying to put his hand on Casey's shoulder to reassure him.

"What do you mean there's more? What else is there that Jill lied about?" Casey asks, walking away from his dad as he shakes his head.

"Casey," Tom says walking towards his son, "Your mom is pregnant."

"What? When did you plan on telling me that?" Casey asks.

"Casey, listen, your dad just found that out today himself. This isn't easy for him either right now. Your dad wasn't intentionally holding this back from you." Bob interjects, trying to calm Casey down.

"Is this baby Doc's?" Casey asks, looking at his dad.

"No, Casey. Doc isn't the baby's father. Your dad is the baby's father." Bob tells his grandson. "Your mom found out she was pregnant shortly before the incident with Doc. She just didn't get the chance to tell you or your dad. She wanted to be the one to tell you and your dad."

"What about Mom's illness and her liver transplant? Is Mom going to get sick again because of this, because of the baby?" Casey asks.

"Right now, your mom and the baby are being monitored because of her illness and her meds. Her meds had to be adjusted for the time being so that the effect is minimal on the baby." Bob explains.

"Dad, I told her I didn't want anything to do with her because of this whole thing with Doc. Do you think she's ever going to forgive us-or speak to us ever again?" Casey asks.

"Bud, I don't know. Right now, I don't even know if she's in town or where she is. Hal said she's going to be away from the office for a while. She didn't say for how long." Tom says, "I don't know." 

"She's by herself because of us. I told her that I didn't want anything to do with her and now it's because of nothing—because someone had to lie about mom. Why would someone want to do something like that? Why did you believe her dad?" Casey asks.

"Casey, I don't know why I believed Jill. Maybe it was just the thought of your mom and Doc together, I don't know. Jill said that Doc convinced her to lie to me about what she saw. Doc figured that if he could get her to lie to me about your mom, that he would have a better chance of seeing your mom. I should have at least tried to talk to her about this. Gosh, I didn't even give her that. I feel so bad right now about what I did to your mom and right now you're probably angry with me about this whole thing." Tom says looking down.

"Casey, it's going to take some time for you, your mom, and dad to work this out. It's not going to happen overnight. There is a lot of pain and emotion that needs to be talked about. I know you're affected by this, too. It's difficult to watch your parents' marriage go through something as difficult and painful as this. Your parents got through something like this once before, I have faith that they'll do it again. The most important thing is that both of you need to remember is that when you do finally get the chance to talk to Margo about this is that you can't get her stressed out. With her illness and now the pregnancy, it's important that she avoids stress as much as possible. I know it's not going to be easy for anybody here in this situation. You have to believe that this will some how work itself out and you will be stronger as a family because of it." Bob says.

"Dad, I don't know what to think right now. What's going to happen if mom doesn't forgive us—or worse yet, even want to talk to us ever again? I remember the look on her face when I told her that I didn't want anything to do with her. I saw that look before I turned around and walked away. What if she doesn't want anything to do with us because of this?" Casey asks, with his voice cracking.

"Case, I don't know. I don't think your mom would go that far and not have anything to do with you. Me—maybe. I just don't know." Tom says.

"Do you think that her being pregnant might be making her sick now?" Casey asks, and then turns away from his dad and Bob.

"Casey, that's something I don't know. All I know is that when I saw her with Hal leaving the station, she looked pale. I asked Hal and he wouldn't get into it. He told me what she told him—that it wouldn't matter to me if she was sick. Hey, I know this is scary right now—not knowing where your mom is or even if she's okay. I am scared, too…"

"We walked out on her, Dad. What if something happens to her?" Casey interrupts.

"All we can do right now is hope that something doesn't happen to her or the baby." Tom says.

"I need to go see if Mom will talk to me." Casey says, as he starts to walk toward the front door.

"Case, wait. I don't even know if your mom is home, or even in town right now." Tom says as his cell phone rings. Grabbing his cell phone from his pocket, he sees that it's Hal calling.

"Tom Hughes" Tom says, answering his phone.

"Tom, it's Hal. I was wondering if you can come by the station so we can discuss if there are going to be more charges filed against Doc Reese for assault against Margo." Hal says.

"I can be there in twenty minutes." Tom says, and then hangs up the phone.

"Dad, Case, I've got to go to the station for a bit." Tom says, looking over to Casey as he's sitting on the couch with his head in his hands and tears welling up in his eyes. "Hey, are you going to be okay?"

"I don't know, Dad." Casey says quietly.

"Tom, why don't you let Casey stay over here for awhile? Kim and Daniel should be back from taking Lucky and Spike for a walk. If he wants, I'll talk to him some more about this situation with Margo. He might need it." Bob says.

"Thanks Dad. He looks like he's taking it pretty hard right now." Tom says, looking at Casey over on the couch.

"It's tough for him to find all this out at once. He'll be okay. I think he needs time to let this all sink in and then you can go from there and figure out what to do about talking to Margo about all of this." Bob tells his son.

"I'll call you when I'm done at the station." Tom says as he walks out the front door.

"Grandpa, can I go lay down upstairs in the guest bedroom and be alone for a while? I have a headache and I don't think I can talk anymore right now." Casey says.

"Yes, sure. You know where it is. I think you need some time to let all this sink in. I know this is a huge shock to you, hearing all this at once. Just remember, things will work out between your mom and dad. They did in the past and hopefully, they will this time to. You have to have faith in that. I'm sure your mom loves you very much, she's also dealing with a lot of hurt and pain too." Bob says as he places his hand on Casey's shoulder, trying to reassure him.

"Thanks, grandpa. I'll try to keep that in mind." Casey says and then heads up the stairs to go lay down in the guest bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Back porch of John's rental house in Martha's Vineyard, late afternoon.

Margo is curled up under a blanket, sitting on the porch swing and reading. The back porch faces the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. It has become a favorite place of Margo's to come and read one of the detective novels she bought while there or just to come and watch the waves splash up onto shore. She found something about sitting out there to be very peaceful and relaxing.

Margo has been up in Martha's Vineyard for the past week. She took John up on his invitation to get out of Oakdale for a while, basically to get away from everything that had been going on—work, being alone at home, away from Tom and Casey, Doc's trial, Chris and Alison's wedding.

John walks up to the doorway and gazes at his daughter, sitting there all curled up under the blanket.

"Hey, are you feeling any better? What did Alan say?" John asks walking over the porch swing.

"He thinks it's still the morning sickness that's making me nauseous. He reminded me that every pregnancy is different. Alan did a checkup while I was there and he said that everything looked good as far as the baby was concerned." Margo replies.

"Since you've been up here, you have started to get some of your color back. You're not looking as pale as you were when you first got here. The only thing is that I'm going to be very concerned about you when you go back to Oakdale." John says.

"Ah, John," Margo sighs, "I wish I could stay up here forever. I'm really dreading going back to Oakdale. It's so peaceful up here. I've actually been able to relax while I've been here."

"What about Tom and Casey?" John asks.

"I don't know. Tom and Casey pretty much haven't had anything to do with me since they moved out. Casey told me that he pretty much wants nothing to do with me and I overheard Tom tell Jessica that just the thought of him being in the same room with me makes him sick." Margo replies and turns her head so that she can look out at the ocean.

"Does Tom or Casey know about the baby?" John asks.

"No. They don't. They both moved out before I even got the chance to tell them. Besides, after what I went through with Tom the last time I was pregnant before this—when Tom accused me of the baby I was carrying at that time being Eddie's and I lost the baby the night Tom was sleeping with Emily. I don't think I could deal with Tom accusing me that this baby is Doc's and going through that all over again. Besides, after what happened with Tom, I don't think he's going to want anything to do with this baby—or me." Margo replies.

"What really happened the night that Tom confronted you about what happened with Doc?" John asks.

"Tom told me that Jill had told him that she caught Doc and me in the locker room at the Oakdale Country Club, making out. I told him that wasn't the truth and that Doc had tried forcing himself on me after I kissed him and told him that I couldn't go on with this anymore. I never got the chance to show him the bruise on my arm that I got from Doc grabbing me and slamming me up against the wall. I tried telling Tom what really happened, but he said something to the effect that he's had it and that he's done with me. After that, he stormed out and never came back. He came the next day while I was at work and packed some clothes." Margo stoically tells John. "He even went so far as to have me served with separation papers."

"Margo, I am so sorry." John tells her as he puts his arms around his daughter.

"You want to know the rough part about this, for two weeks after this whole thing with Doc happened and then Tom moving out—it's brought everything back from the rape, and then my last miscarriage. The hardest part is that I had to deal with it—alone." Margo says, trying not to break down. "Everything I have had to deal with that's been really painful—the rape, the miscarriage, Tom's night with Emily, everything that I thought I have dealt with and thought was behind me—the memories, the pain, the hurt, it's all been coming back."

"I wish there was something I can do to take away all this pain." John says. "Have you thought about staying up here after I go back to Boston to teach in a week?"

"I would love to, but I don't think I would be able to. I have an appointment scheduled with Dr. Martinez for tests right after I am supposed to go back. I wish I could stay up here until after the baby is born." Margo says.

"Dr. Martinez? What happened to Dr. Bartlett?" John asks. "I thought you were still seeing Dr. Bartlett for follow up to your liver transplant."

"I was. I switched doctors after Dr. Bartlett told me he wants me to terminate the pregnancy. I talked about it with Bob and Dr. Samuels and she put me in touch with Dr. Martinez." Margo says. "Dr. Samuels said that terminating the pregnancy was going to the extreme and Dr. Martinez said that I could continue with the pregnancy and I would just have to be monitored closely to ensure I have a healthy baby. My meds would have to be adjusted as the pregnancy progresses and to make sure that the risk is minimal to the baby."

"That's good that you found a doctor that's understanding and is going to do everything to make sure that this baby is healthy. Have you thought about going to talk to somebody about the pain with this whole thing with Tom and all that has been drudging up for you?" John asks.

"I did speak with Bailey at the Rape Crisis center when I was dealing with the nightmares. She's a new volunteer there. She was great when I needed someone to talk to about the nightmares. Talking with her helped that. As far as the memories and the pain of the last miscarriage and Tom accusing me of that baby being Eddie Silva's—I don't know if there's anybody out there who would understand what I went through with that. You'd think that after having dealt with the rape and the aftermath with the HIV tests and the trial, that Tom would believe me when I told him that Doc Reese tried forcing himself on me. That's what has hurt the most during this whole thing is that Tom didn't believe me then. I know that there's no way to get him to believe me now. Whatever that waitress, Jill, told him really got to him because he believed what she told him over me—his own wife. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know if Tom and I can get past this to be honest with you." Margo says.

"Have you even talked to Tom at all? John asks.

"No, I haven't. I went to go drop a case file off at Tom's office and I was hoping at least to tell Tom about the baby. But that didn't happen. I didn't get the chance." Margo says.

"What stopped you?" John asks.

"When I got to Tom's office, he was in there talking to Jessica. I heard Tom tell Jessica that the thought of him being in the same room with me makes him sick. I left after I heard that. I didn't even leave the file that he wanted. I decided at that point that I was better off on going through this pregnancy by myself and not deal with the possibility of Tom accusing me of the baby being Doc's." Margo replies, looking away from John and at the ocean.

"Do you honestly think he meant that? He could have said that out of anger." John implies.

"No, John, I think he honestly meant that. I have never heard him be so angry and I do believe he meant that when he said it. I haven't even bothered trying to talk to him ever since. To make matters even worse, Casey's even told me he doesn't want anything to do with me either and he also moved out. He's staying with Tom—wherever he's staying at. I haven't talked to either one of them." Margo replies. "I don't think either one of them really plan on having anything to do with me ever again."

"Margo, you aren't one to give up. You and Tom managed to reconcile after what happened with Emily. If I would know you better, you two would find some way to get through this, too. Not just for your sake, or Tom or Casey's sake, but also for this unborn baby. Promise me that you aren't just going to walk away from your marriage because of this. This is unlike you to think about giving up like this." John says.

"If I wasn't pregnant, I would definitely fight for my marriage right now. But I am pregnant, and I have to be careful of stressful situations right now. I have this baby to worry about. I am hoping that Tom and I can get through this, but I can't do it know. I can't deal with the stress of that now. After the baby's born, hopefully I will get my chance to fight for my marriage." Margo says. "We've been through so much together and—I don't know, John. I thought my marriage was over after Tom was with Emily and had a child with her. We worked our way back to each other. Now after this, I don't know if he's going to want to—or if we even can."

"What are you saying?" John asks.

"If, and when, Tom finds out about the baby, I don't want this baby to be the sole reason we get back together. Besides, I signed the separation papers and sent them back to Tom—along with my wedding ring." Margo says.

"Why did you do that?" John asks.

"John, I did it because right now I don't know if my marriage can be saved. What I'm hoping for is to buy some time until after the baby's born so I don't have to deal with the stress of fighting with Tom over this. Maybe, it will give Tom enough time to think about this and figure out if this is what he truly wants. I figured he might want them signed. In the note with my wedding ring, I told him that I couldn't hold onto the ring because I feel like I now know I mean nothing to him and that it serves as a painful reminder that he now wants nothing to do with me. Maybe as time goes on, there might be the possibility where Tom and I can talk about this—but right now, I just don't know." Margo replies. "Besides, I didn't tell you that he called shortly after I got off the phone with you."

"What? What did he have to say?" John asks.

"I let the answering machine pick it up. I didn't feel like answering the phone when I saw it was him calling. He said that he was calling to see if I was alright and that he needed to know if I was alright. He saw me darting off to the ladies' room at the station when I was leaving with Hal." Margo tells him.

"Did you talk to him at all?" John asks, curiously.

"No, I didn't. Hal was over because he brought me home from the station. I shrugged it off as a pretense about the separation papers. I didn't even call him back." Margo replies. "I didn't want to bother him with it, besides—like it's really going to matter to him anyway."

"You never know…he might actually be concerned." John says.

"I don't want to sound callous, but I really don't want to think about that right now. I want to concentrate on enjoying the time I have up here and spending time with you before you go back to Boston and I go back to Oakdale. Is that okay?" Margo asks.

"Yes, it is definitely okay." John replies as he gives Margo a hug. "You know as your father, I am going to worry about you."

"I know." Margo says as she returns John's hug. "Isn't that a parent's job?"

"Yes, it is, even if my children are adults—you're my daughter and I am going to worry about you and your brothers." John says. "Why don't we go for a walk and figure out what we want to do about dinner tonight?" 

"Sounds good to me. Let me go change out of my pajamas, since I've been in them most of the day." Margo says as she gets up from the swing and heads over towards the door to go inside.

Oakdale Police Station—Hal's Office, mid-evening.

Hal and Tyler are sitting there in Hal's office watching the surveillance tape that Jill handed Tom in court earlier.

"From that angle, you can definitely see that Doc grabbed Margo forcibly and then slams her into the wall." Tyler observes.

"And you can tell he slammed her up against the wall quite hard." Hal states.

"So, what did I miss and what's this about?" Tom asks as he walks into Hal's office and towards where Hal and Tyler are watching the TV.

"From looking at the tape, it's evident that Doc was trying to get his way with Margo. There could be enough here to recommend assault charges to be filed against Doc for doing this to Margo." Hal states. "You should take a look at this and tell me what you think."

"How far do you want me to rewind this?" Tyler asks.

"Why don't you go back to—there, where Margo looks like she's trying to push him away." Tom replies.

As Tom watches what transpires on the tape, his feelings of guilt come back—guilty about how he treated Margo that night he confronted her about this and that he didn't give her the benefit of the doubt or even question her about this.

"You can stop it, Tyler, I've watched enough." Tom says as he walks away from Hal's desk, running his fingers through his hair.

"Tom, are you alright?" Hal asks.

"Tyler, can you excuse us for a couple of minutes so I can talk to Hal in private?" Tom asks.

"Yeah, sure. I was hoping for a break to go get some coffee. You two want anything?" Tyler asks.

"No thanks. I just came from my dad's and had dinner there." Tom replies.

"I'm fine. Thanks." Hal says as Tyler walks out of Hal's office and shuts the door behind him.

"What's going on here, Tom? Are you alright?" Hal asks.

"No, I'm not. I find out today when I had Jill Anders on the stand that Doc tried forcing himself on Margo, that Margo was telling the truth about this the whole entire time. Jill stated that she came up with the lie she told me about seeing Doc and Margo at Doc's urging. Jill hands me the tape—which is obviously the proof that Margo wasn't lying—which she stole that night. So, basically, I left my wife because someone had to lie about this whole thing. On top of that, Jill tells me that Margo's pregnant and couldn't tell me about it—along with my dad telling me that her doctor wanted her to terminate the pregnancy because of her liver transplant and HCV status." Tom angrily states.

"You found out about all this from Jill?" Hal asks.

"Everything except Dr. Bartlett telling Margo to terminate the pregnancy. I found that out from my dad. I called Jill to testify against Doc Reese today. She told me that Doc tried forcing himself on Margo about a week before he attacked Cami Gaborik." Tom states.

"Jill knew about the tape? I'd like to know why she didn't say anything about it when Margo was interrogating her for the stolen property and the thefts from the Oakdale Country Club." Hal states.

"She handed it to me when she was on the witness stand in court. She stated that she lied to me about Margo and Doc because he suggested that she lie to me about what she saw so that he would have a better chance with my wife. She also said that Doc threatened her if she went and reported what she saw." Tom states.

"Now, you've seen the proof that Margo wasn't lying to you about what happened." Hal says.

"I should have questioned what Jill told me when I saw the bruise on Margo's arm—looking like she had been forcibly grabbed, similar to the bruises she had from when she was raped—but no, I didn't question her. I got really angry with her and left the house." Tom states.

"Unfortunately, I have to change the subject here. There's enough to look at assault charges on Doc. The only thing is that I don't know how Margo's going to feel about that and about possibly dealing with having to testify. I know for a fact that she's been deliberately ignoring what was going on with Doc's rape case and that she wasn't aware that the start of the trial had been moved up." Hal says. "Plus, she doesn't need to deal with the stress of that at all right now."

"Believe me, I already know about this. I have already had that talk with my dad earlier about this." Tom states.

"The other thing is that if I can find out when exactly she found out about the pregnancy, I might be able to mention it in the report to your office." Hal says.

"That shouldn't be hard. My dad told me that she had seen Dr. Samuels." Tom replies.

"So, do you want me to go ahead with the report to file the assault charges against Doc for what he did to Margo?" Hal asks.

"That's your call to make. I am going to have to recuse myself from this because I'm married, or should say was married, to Margo." Tom states then turns away from Hal.

"What are you implying by 'was married' there, Tom?" Hal asks.

"You remember what you told me about what Margo said about my calling her at the house was just a pretense to bug her about the separation papers?" Tom asks.

"Yeah, that was her opinion." Hal says.

"Well, she signed them Hal. They were delivered to my office today while I was in court for Doc's trial. Not only did she sign and send the papers back, she also included her wedding ring and a note that said that I believe my marriage is over and there's no chance in saving it. She's out there, I don't know where—alone and pregnant, and convinced that our marriage is over." Tom states.

"Listen, I have talked with her about this. Tom, she's hurting—really bad. It's not just about you not believing her and walking out; she's hurt that Casey told her he doesn't want anything to do with her. Margo told me herself about the pregnancy before she left. I told her that you have a right to know about the baby, but she told me that she couldn't deal with you accusing her of the baby being Doc's. This whole thing is bringing up some pretty bad memories to the surface for her—the last miscarriage. I wouldn't be surprised if the pain and the memories from the rape came back to haunt her, too. I just hope that she doesn't have another episode of PTSD. She told me that she made the decision to deal with this pregnancy alone, knowing that you're the father." Hal says.

"Hal, I know she's hurting. It's my fault. I didn't believe what she was telling me what happened that night. I believed a waitress over my own wife and I walked out on her. Now, I have a child on the way that I don't think she had any intention on being able to tell me about. She's alone, she's dealing with a high-risk pregnancy, and she's convinced that I don't believe our marriage is worth saving. I need to see her and try to talk with her about this. The only thing is that I don't know where she is—if she's even in Oakdale right now." Tom says.

"First of all, I will tell you that Margo is out of town. She promised me not to tell you where she went. I encouraged her to go, get away from things for a while, and take it easy. She desperately needs that right now considering all that she's had to deal with." Hal states.

"Hal, come on. I know that you know more than you're letting on. I would just like to know where she is." Tom states.

"I told you that she promised me not to tell you. I am going to keep my word to her on that. Besides, I don't think it would be a good idea for you to try to track her down if I were able to tell you. She doesn't need to deal with this. You know that she must keep the stress level down because this pregnancy is high risk. She needs the time right now to get away from all that stress she has had to face here in Oakdale. Do me a favor; just give her this time away for right now. Hopefully, you can try to convince her to talk after she gets back into town." Hal states.

"How long is she going to be gone for—for the rest of her pregnancy?" Tom asks.

"All I know is that she did find out that the start of Doc's trial got pushed up and that she didn't want to be around for Chris and Alison's wedding. She left the day before the start of the trial. I think she's going to be back sometime after the wedding. Tom, you look exhausted. Why don't you call it a day and go home? I'm sure you're probably going to want to talk to Casey about this. I'll talk to Tyler about the possible assault charges against Doc for what he did to Margo." Hal states.

"Fine, I'll go home—or back to the Lakeview." Tom says as he grabs his briefcase.

"Tom, I hate the fact that you had to find out about the pregnancy this way. Margo told me that she really wanted to be the one to tell you about the baby, considering that she told me that you two wanted to have another child after Casey for the longest time. But with everything that has happened, she couldn't bring herself to tell you." Hal says.

"Thanks." Tom says as he turns to walk out of Hal's office.

Walking out of the Oakdale Police station, the feelings of hurt and guilt begin to resurface stronger for Tom. He can't get over what he did to Margo—the love of his life. He gets into his car and sits there for a minute after starting it, still beating himself up over what he had done to Margo. Tom turns up the radio and hears the beginning strains of Richard Marx's "Until I Find You Again,"

Lately I've been trying

To fill up my days since you're gone.

The speed of love is blinding,

And I didn't know how to hold on.

My mind won't clear.

I'm out of tears.

My heart's go no room left inside.

How many dreams will end?

How long can I pretend?

How many times will love pass me by,

Until I find you again?

Will the arms of hope surround me?

Will time be a fairweather friend?

Should I call out to angels,

Or just drink myself sober again?

I can't hide, it's true.

I still burn for you.

Your memory just won't let me go.

How many dreams will end?

How long can I pretend?

How many times will love pass me by,

Until I find you again?

I'd hold you tighter,

Closer than ever before,

Yeah.

No flame would burn brighter,

If I could touch you once more,

Hold you once more.

[Guitar interlude]

How many dreams will end?

How long can I pretend?

How many times will love pass me by,

Till I find you again?

Till I find you again…... (Richard Marx, Greatest Hits, 1997, written by Richard Marx)

As the song ends, Tom leans his head back in the headrest of the car seat.

"I will find you again, Margo" he says to himself then grabs his cell phone out of his pocket and dials his dad's house.

"Hello?" Bob says when he answers.

"Hi Dad, I'm done here at the station. How's Casey doing?" Tom asks.

"He's asleep upstairs. He went to go lay down after you left. He didn't want to talk much after you left." Bob replies.

"How's Daniel?" Tom asks.

"Emily came and picked him up. She asked me to tell you that if it's easier for you, she can drop him off here tomorrow around 6 for your weekend with him." Bob says.

"That would be great, if you don't mind. He doesn't like the Lakeview much these days." Tom says.

"That's not a problem, son. Do you want me to go wake up Casey?" Bob asks.

"No, don't. Just let him sleep." Tom replies. "I'm going to head back to the Lakeview and try to get some work done for the trial tomorrow."

"How are you doing?" Bob asks.

"I don't know right now, Dad. I guess I am still somewhat in a state of shock over what happened today. I do need to talk to Margo, but I found out she's out of town for the time being and Hal made her a promise not to tell me. He doesn't know when she's going to be back." Tom says.

"Maybe a break from everything is what Margo needs right now. Remember, eventually, you will get your chance to talk to her about this. Just give her some space and time right now. Margo's probably not even aware of what's transpired today and that's going to be quite a shock for her when she finds out." Bob implies. "Why don't you go back the Lakeview and try to take it easy yourself for a while—don't get to stressed out about this either."

"I will try, Dad. Good night." Tom says as he hangs up the phone then heads back over to the Lakeview—alone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

Oakdale District Attorney's office 10:30 am

It's been a week since Tom found out that what Jill had told him about seeing what happened between Doc and Margo was all a lie, that Margo had told him the truth that night he confronted her then walked out on her. But what was really eating at Tom was the fact that he found out that his wife is pregnant and she couldn't bring herself to tell him. During the past week, Doc was found guilty by a jury of raping Cami Gaborik. Doc was also facing additional charges of assault, but decided to plead no contest to those charges of assaulting Margo. Margo had left town and was in Martha's Vineyard, spending time with John while he was on vacation.

Ever since Tom found out about Margo's pregnancy and the truth about what happened, he's wanted to find her and talk to her about this. He's been reeling and beating himself up over what he had done to Margo—not giving her the benefit of the doubt, walking out on her, and even going so far as serving her with separation papers. His wanting and needing to see her for himself has all but consumed him to the point where Tom made the decision to go against the advice that Bob and Hal had given him and try to track Margo down. It was also bothering him knowing that Margo was out there—somewhere, alone and pregnant—and it was his fault. Tom was also having a hard time dealing with not knowing how Margo and the baby were doing, considering the status of her pregnancy. This situation had bothered him to the point to where he left Chris's bachelor party early because he didn't feel in any kind of a celebratory mood.

Tom started trying to find any idea of where Margo had gone to by first calling Andy. Andy told Tom that he had been out of the country for the past two months on assignment and wasn't aware of what was going on. After talking with Andy, Tom tried calling Duke in New Jersey. Duke told Tom the last time he had talked with his sister was a couple of weeks ago and she didn't mention anything to him about leaving Oakdale for any extended period. Duke also told his brother-in-law that Margo was real vague about what was really going on with her. Tom called Lien after speaking with Duke. Lien told her dad that the last time she had spoken with Margo was not long after she received the separation papers and hadn't heard from her since. Next on Tom's list to call was Adam out in Los Angeles. Adam told Tom that he had spoken with his mom the morning she left Oakdale. He informed his Tom that she didn't tell him where she was going, but did tell him that she was going to get away from everything for a while. Tom replied by asking if Margo flew out to Los Angeles. Adam told him that he had been extremely busy working on a project and taking a class. Adam asked Tom why he was looking for her after he walked out on her. Tom informed Adam of what happened in court the week before and that Margo's pregnant—about four to five months along at that point. Adam informed him that she wasn't out in Los Angeles. Tom tried calling John, only to reach his voicemail stating that he was going to be out of town for a month on vacation and that he would be back the week before classes start at Harvard Medical School. Tom left a message for him asking if he had heard from Margo at all and that it was urgent.

After leaving John a message, Tom calls Lyla.

"Hello?" Lyla replies as she answers the phone.

"Hi, Lyla. It's Tom. I know I am the last person you expect to hear from." Tom states.

"Is everything alright there in Oakdale?" Lyla asks.

"No, it's not. I was wondering if you have talked with Margo at all lately." Tom asks.

"No. The last time I talked with Margo was three weeks ago, after her last doctor's appointment. What's going on, Tom?" Lyla asks.

'You probably know by now that I walked out on Margo. I thought Margo was lying to me about something that happened between her and another man. An employee at the country club told me that she had seen Margo "making out" with another man. I confronted her on it and ended up walking out on her. I found out last week in court that this employee had lied to me about what she had seen. She told me what really happened and even handed me a video tape from the surveillance camera that she had stolen. On top of that, she told me about Margo being pregnant and that she didn't know if she would ever be able to tell me. I need to talk to Margo and now she's not in town. I was wondering if you have any possible idea where she might be." Tom states.

"What about Casey? Margo wouldn't just leave town like that." Lyla replies.

"Casey moved out, too. He's been staying with me this entire time. Casey told me that he told Margo that he didn't want anything to do with her ever again because of what we thought was the truth." Tom states.

"Margo and I discussed the possibility of her coming out here to Logan for a while and staying with me. That was a couple of months ago. Her plans changed when the situation with Dr. Bartlett wanting her to terminate the pregnancy arose. She hadn't said anything to me since about leaving town for a while." Lyla states.

"I know about the situation with Dr. Bartlett. My dad told me. He went with her to an appointment with Dr. Samuels so that Margo could get a second opinion. Dr. Samuels was able to refer her to another doctor and that terminating the pregnancy was extreme. My dad said that Margo and the baby are going to have to be closely monitored. Right now, I just need to find Margo and talk to her." Tom implies.

"Have you tried talking to Adam, Katie, John, or Craig?" Lyla asks.

"I spoke with Adam. He told me that he had spoken with Margo the morning she left. She didn't tell him where she was going. Adam told me that Margo's not in Los Angeles. I left a message for John. His voicemail greeting stated he was on vacation right now but didn't say where he was going. Katie's been in Paris for the last three months for the magazine, so I doubt she would know anything—let alone have talked to Margo. Craig—all I know with him is that around the time I walked out on Margo, they had a serious falling out. It had to do with some legal trouble that he had gotten into and he was hoping that Margo would 'pull some strings' to help him get out of it. She refused to do so. I seriously doubt he would know anything, let alone talk to her at all." Tom replies.

"What are you planning on doing next, Tom?" Lyla asks.

"My next plan is to call the airlines that fly in and out of Oakdale and see if Margo had been on any of their flight manifests within the past month and see where that leads." Tom states.

"I will call you if I do hear from Margo. Will you call me when you find out something? The thought of her going through another pregnancy alone scares me. When she was pregnant with Adam, she wasn't sick—this time around, it's a whole different story." Lyla says.

"It scares me, too. I will call you when I find something out and keep you updated." Tom states. "I suppose I should start calling the airlines to see what I can find out. I'll keep you posted."

"I will talk to you soon. Take it easy and don't get yourself all stressed out about this." Lyla says.

"I'll try not to. I'll talk to you soon. Bye." Tom says then hangs up the phone.

After hanging up with Lyla, Tom makes calls to Eastern, Northeast, and Sun Air—only to be told by all three airlines that they would have to get back to him in regard to Margo being listed on any flight manifests out of Oakdale. Just as Tom is finishing his call with Sun Air, Chris and Casey walk into his office.

"What brings you guys here?" Tom asks as he hangs up the phone.

"First of all, you forgot about my follow-up appointment this morning with Dr. Schuller—the hand surgeon—from last week. I ran into Chris at the hospital and he offered to go with me." Casey replies.

"Was that this morning? I'm so sorry I totally forgot about it. What did Dr. Schuller have to say?" Tom asks his son.

"I have to have surgery. The bone that is broken in my hand needs to be reset. Dr. Schuller would like to do surgery and he's looking at next Thursday. He would like to speak with you regarding that." Casey states.

"The surgery will be done on an out-patient basis. There are some things that Dr. Schuller would like to go over with you beforehand, Tom." Chris states.

"I will try to call him this afternoon about this. So, what else is going on—besides the big day being tomorrow?" Tom asks.

"Chris and I went over to the house so I could get Grandpa Chris's pocket watch for the grandfathers' table that he and Ali are going to have set up for the ceremony. Dad, when I went up to my bedroom, I found that all my stuff was packed—except for the clothes that I had left. I found that Daniel's stuff in his room had been packed, too. Everything in the house that had anything to do with us—pictures, our stuff—Mom packed it away. It's like Mom believes we're never coming back." Casey informs his dad.

"What?" Tom asks.

"Dad, when I walked through the living room after coming down from my room, I saw that all the family pictures, pictures of you and mom, Daniel, me, Adam, Lien, they were all packed away. All the pictures, notes, whatever was on the fridge—that was all cleared off. I didn't look in the master bedroom, but it looks like that anything that has to do with us is all packed away." Casey states.

Tom puts his head in his hands and rubs his fingers through his hair.

"Your mom is absolutely convinced our marriage is over." Tom states.

"What do you mean?" Casey asks.

"Your mom signed the separation papers and sent them to me. On top of that, she included her wedding ring and a note. She wrote that she now realizes that you and I don't have any intentions on coming back and that our marriage is over." Tom replies.

"Mom doesn't know what happened in court last week, does she?" Casey asks.

"No. Casey, she doesn't. I found out from Hal that she left town for a while. She told Hal where she was going, but made him promise not to tell me. Apparently, she left town the day before Doc's trial started. On top of that, she told Hal that she didn't want to be around for the wedding. To make matters worse, Hal told me that he encouraged Margo to leave town for a while. He doesn't know when she'll be back." Tom replies.

"Was there anything on the envelope that the papers or the note was in regarding to where Mom might be?" Casey asks.

"No. There was no return address. I called the delivery service to see if they had any information on where it was sent from and they are going to get back to me on that." Tom replies. "I am also waiting to hear back from the airlines to see if your Mom was on any flight manifests out of Oakdale recently."

"Have you talked to John, Adam, or anybody who might have any idea on where she might have gone to?" Chris asks.

"I have already done that. Dad and Hal both suggested that I wait until Margo comes home to try to talk to her. I can't do that. I've got to talk to her now. Who knows? She might decide not to come back to Oakdale until after she has the baby." Tom states. "Adam told me that she called him the morning she left. She didn't say anything to him on where she was going and that she wasn't out in Los Angeles with him. John—he's on vacation right now and I was only able to leave him a voicemail. When I talked to Lyla, she told me that Margo was thinking about going out to Logan, Utah and staying with her for a while—but then the whole thing with Dr. Bartlett came up."

"What about Lien, Andy, Duke, Aunt Katie, and Uncle Craig? Would any of them know anything?" Casey asks.

"Lien told me that when I called her that the last time she spoke to your mom was when she got the separation papers. Andy just got back in the country and didn't know what was going on. Duke told me that he wasn't aware of any plans she had to go out of town and that the last time he talked with her was a couple of weeks ago. Katie's been in Paris for the magazine for the past three months, so I doubt she knows anything. Craig—I doubt he knows anything because he's mad at your mom for not helping him get out of the legal trouble that he's gotten into." Tom replies.

"What about Aunt Cricket?" Casey asks.

"When I talked to Ernie, he said that the last time he can remember Margo calling them was a month ago. Cricket hadn't mentioned anything to him about it. Ernie was going to talk to her and have her give me a call." Tom replies.

"Tom, I think you need a distraction to take your mind off things for a while. We still need to pick up our tuxes for the wedding. Maybe we could go get something to eat, meet up with Dad and hang out for a while before the rehearsal." Chris suggests.

"Dad, come on. We all know how this thing with Mom has been bothering you. It's been bothering me, too. Why don't we go hang out and try to take our minds off things for a while. Tomorrow's going to be a crazy day." Casey states.

"I suppose I can have my calls forwarded to my cell phone. I am waiting to hear back from the airlines to see if your mom was on any of their outbound flights and I haven't even thought about lunch at all." Tom says.

"Then let's go." Chris implies. "Besides, Tom, I know that you've been working a lot lately. You definitely need a break."

"Alright, you talked me into it. Let me let Annette know what's going on and we'll be on our way." Tom states.

Tom walks out of his office momentarily to let his secretary know what's going on. She calls to set up so that Tom's calls are automatically forwarded to his cell phone for the rest of the afternoon.

"I'll see you on Monday. Have a good weekend." Tom says as he walks back into his office.

"You guys all set?" Tom asks his brother and his son.

"We've been waiting for you." Casey implies.

Tom walks out of his office with his son and his younger brother.

Shortly after they leave Tom's office, Tom's cell phone rings.

"Tom Hughes" Tom replies as he answers the phone.

"Mr. Hughes. This is Lainie Alexander from NorthEast Air. I am returning for phone call about Margo Hughes." The voice on the other end of the phone states.

"Hi Lainie. What were you able to find?" Tom asks.

"In going through the flight manifests for the past month. I was able to find a Margo on one of our flight manifests going to Boston. The person's name on the flight manifest was for a Margo Montgomery. The date of this flight was Monday, September 11." Lainie informs Tom.

"Montgomery is her maiden name. Thank you very much." Tom states.

"Is there anything else that I can help you with, Mr. Hughes?" Lainie asks.

"No, that was the information I was looking for. Thank you. Bye." Tom states then hangs up the phone.

"Well, Case. I have an idea where your mom might be." Tom tells his son.

"Where did she go?" Casey asks.

"Somewhere around Boston. They found a Margo Montgomery on a flight on the 11th going to Boston." Tom states.

"Are you going to go to Boston to see what you can find out?" Casey asks.

"I am going to need to call around to some hotels to see if Margo's there. I might try calling John again to see if I can talk to him at all." Tom states.

Oakdale Country Club, site of Chris and Ali's reception. After the wedding, shortly after 9:30 pm.

Tom is standing outside on the patio overlooking the golf course, leaning against the railing. Bob looks out the French doors and walks over towards his oldest son.

"How are you doing, son?" Bob asks.

"I don't know. I really don't feel like being in any kind of a celebratory mood right now, if that's what you're asking." Tom replies. "I'm happy for Chris and Alison, but I needed to be alone for a while."

"We know it's been rough for you lately—finding out the truth about what happened with Margo, finding out about the baby." Bob states.

"And not knowing exactly where she is…" Tom interjects.

"What do you mean by not knowing exactly where she is?" Bob asks.

"You know how you told me I should just wait for Margo to come back to talk to her about this." Tom states.

"Yes, I do. I think that's a good idea. I told you how it might be beneficial to Margo that she's out of town for a while." Bob replies.

"Well Dad, I can't just sit around and wait for her to come back. She could wait to come back until after she's had the baby for all I know. She might not even come back. I started trying to find out where she went. I had to do something. It's been hell knowing that she's out there alone and pregnant and not knowing how she or the baby are doing. I had to do something. I have to talk to her." Tom implies. "I have to know for myself how Margo and the baby are doing with this pregnancy being high risk."

"Tom, Margo might be trying to figure things out right now." Bob states.

"I know that, Dad. Margo might have already figured things out." Tom states.

"What do you mean?" Bob asks.

"Dad, the day that I found out that Jill told me that she lied about what she saw what happen between Margo and Doc and that Margo's pregnant. I went back to my office and Annette handed me an envelope that she told me came while I was in court. I opened it after I got into my office and found out that Margo had signed the separation papers." Tom tells his dad.

"Margo signed the separation papers?" Bob asks, surprised.

"Yes, Dad, she did. Not only that, she included a note with her wedding ring taped to it. She wrote that she realizes that Casey and I have no intentions in coming back, that we don't want anything to do with her ever again. She also wrote that it's going to take some time to accept that our marriage is over and that I don't believe that there is any chance in trying to save our marriage and possibly move on from it. Dad, she honestly believes that our marriage is over. Margo said that she signed the separation papers because it's what I wanted." Tom replies. "I never thought she would actually sign them."

"I'm so sorry to hear that son. I don't know what to say." Bob says.

"I already feel so damn bad for what I did to her and now she's out there alone, believing our marriage is over. I am so worried that something is going to happen to either her or the baby. God knows what's going to happen if something should happen and she loses this baby. You said that the last miscarriage is still bothering her." Tom states.

"First of all, don't think like that. Margo might have left town just to get away from everything for a while. Do you have any idea where she might have gone to?" Bob asks.

"I found out yesterday that she was on a flight out of Oakdale to Boston on September 11. The representative from the airline said that she had found a Margo Montgomery on a flight manifest to Boston. The only reason why I think she would possibly go to Boston is because of John. I tried calling him, but I received his voicemail and he said that he's on vacation for the time being." Tom says.

"Is there a possibility that Margo could have joined John on his vacation?" Bob asks.

"That could be a possibility. The only thing is that I don't know where they would go. John knows about what happened the last time we came back from Cape Cod with the boys." Tom replies.

"If Margo's with John, you know she's in good hands. John's a doctor. He knows her medical history." Bob states.

"I don't know. I am planning on trying to call the travel agents here in town to see if Margo made any arrangements through them on Monday. Actually, there is something that I do need to do. I don't think that Chris and Alison are going to mind if I leave now." Tom states.

"What do you need to do?" Bob asks.

"Casey and Chris came to my office yesterday. I forgot about Casey's appointment with Dr. Schuller and Chris went with Casey to the appointment. Casey told me that he went over to the house to get Grandpa Chris's pocket watch and he found his stuff all packed. Not only was Casey's stuff all packed, so was Daniel's in his room and all the pictures and other family mementos in the living room—all those were packed up too. Casey told me that anything that had to do with me, the kids—anything to do with family, had been packed up. I need to go see that for myself." Tom states.

"I suppose Kim's going to be looking for me, soon. It's been a long day for everybody. Son, remember, don't do anything drastic. There has to be someway that you and Margo can work through this. You have before. Don't give up on that and don't give up on Margo so easily either." Bob states as he tries to reassure his son.

"Thanks, Dad." Tom says as he turns to walk away.

Tom and Margo's house—thirty minutes later.

Tom walks up to the front door from the driveway, seeing that the house is dark. After unlocking the front door, Tom walks over to the alarm panel to disarm it. When he turns on the light—lighting up the kitchen and part of the living room, he sees what Casey had told him. He sees that all the pictures, notes, anything school related for Casey and Daniel had been cleared off from the refrigerator. Tom walks from the kitchen over to the living room and sees that all the pictures of him and Margo from over the years, the boys, Lien, and the rest of the family weren't in their place. He sees that the scrap book that Adam made for him and Margo for their 15th anniversary wasn't on the coffee table, where it usually was. Tom walks over to the desk and sees that the CD's that had their favorite songs weren't there.

Tom goes upstairs. The first room he stops at is Casey's room. He sees that the poster that was on his door was taken down. Tom opens the door to Casey's room and sees the boxes, stacked up against the dresser. He sees that Casey's baseball trophies, pictures, books, CD's, and games had all been packed. He looks in the closet, only to see that it was pretty much empty—except for some clothes that Casey left behind.

Tom walks out of Casey's room, closes the door, and heads over to Daniel's room. When he opens the door, he notices the same thing that he saw in Casey's room—all of Daniel's games, books, CD's, had been packed away and the boxes stacked up next to his dresser. This time, he noticed that Daniel's clothes had even been packed. Tom takes a look around, then walks out of Daniel's room.

After closing the door to Daniel's room, Tom notices that the pictures of the boys that were taken in school were no longer hanging in their place on the wall in the hallway.

Tom walks across the hall and into the master bedroom—the bedroom that he and Margo shared. He turns on the light and the first thing he notices is that the bedding is different—including the comforter. He notices that the quilt that they received as a wedding gift from Nancy was no longer on the foot of their bed. Tom looks around and sees that the pictures of him and Margo aren't on the one dresser by the door. He even notices that his nightstand had been completely cleared off. Tom sits on the bed and looks around. He starts to think about the morning after they found Casey.

Tom remembers sitting on the edge of the bed, with Margo sitting in his lap. They were both watching Casey peacefully sleep after finding him and bringing him home. Tom remembers Margo telling him about how vulnerable he looked sleeping there in their bed and how it reminded her of when Casey was a baby, how them telling Adam that they considered him a hero for acting sick like he did to get Renee to open the door, and watching Casey waking up and mumbling "I'm home."

Tom looks up and sees an open box on the vanity. He gets up off the bed and walks over there, noticing that the box isn't labeled. Tom picks up the box and walks back over to the bed. He starts looking through the contents and sees some of the gifts that he's given to Margo over the years—the locket he gave her on their 9th anniversary with a picture of them and a younger Adam and Casey, a smaller box with the "Dick Tracy" watch he gave her one year that she loved so much, along with the diamond watch he gave her that he had engraved with "Till the end of time" on the back. Tom notices a gift box at the bottom, along with an envelope that was taped to the box. He takes the gift box out of the bigger box and after setting it on the bed, he opens it. He notices that it's the mobile he made for her to hang in her hospital room shortly after they received the news that Margo had contracted Hepatitis C from when she was raped. The mobile had pictures of them together, Adam, Casey, Bob, Kim, Katie, Nancy—anybody who was family. Tom puts the mobile back in the box then takes the envelope off the top. When he opens it, he sees that it's the card in which he wrote, "No matter which way you turn, you're always surrounded by someone who loves you." A tear starts to roll down Tom's cheek when he reads that then his thoughts turn to Margo—being out there somewhere alone and pregnant. "If you only knew how much I still love you, Margo" Tom says to himself.

As he puts the gift box and envelope back into the larger box, Tom notices a black velvet jewelry box. He picks the box up and upon opening it, Tom notices it's the two hearts linked necklace that he gave to Margo for Christmas after she had her liver transplant and Tom thought he was going to lose her. Tom starts to remember the Christmas not quite two years ago.

"_Oh my god, it's beautiful." Margo says as she looks at the necklace Tom had just given her._

"_You like it? Hey, it's engraved" Tom tells her as Margo looks on the back of the two hearts._

"_Ahhh…. forever." She reads what the engraving says out loud. _

"_Well, that's us—two hearts linked together, forever." Tom replies._

"_You know, if you don't kiss me real soon, I'm gonna cry." Margo says as tears are starting to form in her eyes._

"_Ahhh, I don't want to ruin your reputation as a tough guy." Tom says as he puts his arms around her and they kiss._

"_Merry Christmas" Tom tells her as they part from there kiss._

"_Merry Christmas, baby" Margo replies softly. "Your present's at home."_

"_No, it's not. It's right here. You're the only gift I want. When I thought I was going to lose you, that I would never get to celebrate another Christmas, birthday with you, watch another Monday Night Football game, I felt like a man condemned to life. But miracles do happen. You are here with me and we are together, forever, and that's the only gift I want." Tom tells her._

"_Does that mean I have to take your tie back?" Margo asks _

"_Ahhh…another necktie? I haven't gotten one since, last Christmas." Tom says with a smirk on his face._

"_I know it's so old." Margo tells him with tears building up in her eyes "You better kiss me quick."_

"_Ahhh…. watch out. I thought you didn't want to cry" Tom says._

"_I love you so much" Margo says as she puts his arms around him then they kiss._

Tom looks at the back of the necklace, where he had "forever" engraved.

"Hopefully, that can still be us." Tom says to himself.

Tom puts the necklace back into the velvet box then places that box in the box with the other gifts. He gets up off the bed and after wiping a tear away from his eye, he takes the box back over to the vanity where he found it. Tom looks around the room one more time then walks over to the door, turns off the light, and closes the door.

Tom walks down the hallway towards the staircase, turning off the light in the hallway. Just as Tom is coming down the stairs, he hears a key turning in the lock and then the door opening. Tom gets to the bottom of the stairs just as Margo walks through the front door.

"Margo?" Tom says, his voice cracking with emotion….


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

Tom had just come down the stairs at the same time that Margo was walking through the front door. Margo looks up and is completely surprised to see Tom standing there.

"Margo?" Tom says, his voice cracking with emotion.

"I signed the separation papers and sent them back to you. You should have gotten them by now." Margo tells him as she looks away, trying to avoid making any kind of eye contact with Tom.

"I did get them, along with your note and your wedding ring. That's not the reason why I'm here." Tom replies.

"What are you doing here, then?" Margo asks as she walks over to the couch to sit down.

"Casey told me about everything being packed up. I had to see for myself." Tom states as he walks over to the couch.

"When did Casey come by?" Margo asks as she takes off her shoes, trying anything to avoid making eye contact with Tom at all costs.

"Casey and Chris came by here yesterday to get Grandpa Chris's pocket watch for the ceremony. Casey told me about everything being packed up when he and Chris came by my office. I came here to see for myself. You didn't have to pack everything up." Tom says.

"What, and have everything around here be a constant reminder of you walking out, that Casey doesn't want anything to do with me? I realize that you have no intention of ever coming back. I am finally beginning to accept the fact that our marriage is over. What's the point of having all the pictures, mementos, and other things when all it really is a painful reminder of that? Yes, Tom, I had to pack all of that stuff up." Margo tells him still looking away from him. "I was planning on making arraignments through Annette with you for you and Casey to come get the rest of your things—unless you would like me to leave and you can take whatever now."

"First of all, slow down. You just got home. What makes you think that I want you to leave?" Tom asks.

"For starters, knowing that you can't deal to be in the same room with me. You made it clear to me that night you walked out that you want nothing more to do with me. So, what do you really want and why are you here? I signed the separation papers because that is what you wanted; Casey's living with you because he doesn't want anything to do with me either. So, there's really nothing left to talk about. "Margo states.

"Yes, Margo, there are some things that we do need to talk about." Tom replies then sits on the couch next to Margo.

"What is there to talk about? You don't believe me about what I told you about what happened between Doc and me in that locker room. There is no way now to convince you that I was telling you the truth. So, what's the point?" Margo asks as she gets up from the couch and walks away.

"The point is that we do need to talk about it. You might not want to believe it, but we do need to talk about." Tom states.

"Why? Is it so that you can remind me that our marriage is over? Is it so that you can remind me that you aren't coming back? Is it so that you can remind me that you don't believe me, your now-estranged wife? That you believe some waitress/bartender that you barely know? What is there to talk about?" Margo asks.

"Margo, first of all, please try to calm down. You don't need to be getting yourself all worked up and stressed out about this. Something happened last week during Doc's trial that you need to know about. I know that is the last thing that you want to talk about. Please, let me explain, Margo. Please, hear me out." Tom implies. "I know that I am the last person you probably want to see, or even talk to right now. Will you please give me the chance to explain what happened? You do need to know about this. You need to know what happened."

Margo reluctantly walks over to the chair on the other side of the couch and sits down.

"I don't think what you have to say is really going to change anything—you don't believe that our marriage can be saved. You proved that to me the night you walked out, then when you had me served with separation papers. I know you don't plan on coming back." Margo states as she looks down.

"I'm here now. Doesn't that say something to you?" Tom asks.

"I don't know." Margo replies. "I really don't know what to believe anymore."

"Margo, I know about what happened that afternoon in the locker room." Tom states.

"No, you don't. What you know is what Jill told you—which was a big lie. I tried telling you the truth about what happened and you believed Jill's version of events." Margo interjects.

"I had to call Jill to testify last week in Doc's trial. She stated in court about another incident of Doc trying to force himself on another woman the week before he assaulted Cami Gaborik. Jill stated what she walked in and what she saw. When I asked her if she knew the identity of the woman Doc tried forcing himself on before he raped Cami Gaborik, she stated in court—on the witness stand—that she knew the identity of the other woman and she said it was someone I knew very well. When I asked her who it was, she stated that the other woman that Doc tried forcing himself on was you." Tom states.

"And do you honestly believe that she told you the truth on the witness stand? After what she did, after I told you she was lying about what she saw? Did you even see the bruise on my arm from that?" Margo angrily asks.

"Jill handed me the videotape she stole from the surveillance system at the country club. She stated that the whole incident was recorded and it's on the tape. I watched it because Hal, Tyler, and I discussed the possibility of filing assault charges against Doc for what he did to you. I recused myself from this because of our marriage. Doc pled no contest to the new charges." Tom tells Margo as she gets up from the chair and walks over to the island.

"So, what now, Tom? Now you supposedly believe what I was telling you that night? That still doesn't change anything. Our marriage is over because of Jill deliberately lied to you and you believed her lies over me. You believed someone you barely know over your own wife. How do you think I feel about that, Tom? You never gave me the benefit of the doubt at all. I was your wife, Tom. I thought you would believe me and believe in me. Boy, I found out the hard way that you never did." Margo says, trying to choke back the tears.

"Margo, you're still my wife. I never filed those separation papers and I'm not going to. I am so sorry that I never gave you the benefit of the doubt that night. I am so sorry for walking out like that without giving you any kind of a chance to talk about this. I am so sorry for snapping at you like that. I thought I saw a bruise on your arm. I know I didn't ask you about it. I realize now that I acted so impulsively that night. I kept hearing what Jill told me over and over in my mind. I know there's no excuse for what I did. I honestly wish I can go back and change what I did, but I know I can't. Ever since I found out about all of this, I have been feeling so bad and guilty about how I treated you and what I did. I believe you. It's my mistake for not believing you from the start." Tom states as tears are beginning to well up in his eyes.

"You now believe me after Jill confessed to lying to you. You now believe me after watching the videotape." Margo says loudly.

"Please calm down. I don't need you to get all worked up over this. I know that you haven't been feeling well the past several weeks. I know. I called you to find out if you were okay and you never bothered calling me back." Tom states.

"I didn't call you back is because it doesn't matter to you anymore." Margo says. "I know it doesn't matter to you."

"Margo, it does matter to me. You're my wife, you're Casey's mom. How could it not matter to me?" Tom asks.

"It didn't matter to you the night you walked out. Why should it matter to you now?" Margo asks as she walks away from the island over to the windows.

"Because I know you're pregnant, Margo. I know that you couldn't bring yourself to tell me. I know that you wanted to be the one to tell me about the baby—our baby." Tom tells Margo as a tear starts to roll down his cheek.

Margo turns around and looks at Tom in disbelief after hearing him tell her that he knows about the baby.

"You know?" Margo asks.

"Yes, I do. Why couldn't you tell me about the baby?" Tom asks, his voice cracking with emotion, "How long have you known? How far along are you?"

Margo walks over to the couch and sits down. She wipes away the tears that are spilling over, not wanting Tom to see them.

"I'm about four and a half months along. I found out the day before Doc attacked me in the locker room. I couldn't tell you because of the last time I was pregnant, when you accused me of that baby being Eddie's. All of those painful memories—you accusing me of Eddie being the baby's father, the abortion appointment that Emily set up, knowing that you didn't want anything to do with that baby or me at that point, suffering the miscarriage alone—all that came back to the surface, especially the miscarriage because of finding out later that you were with Emily when it happened. I knew that if I had told you about the baby when I found out that you were going to assume that Doc was the father of this baby and I couldn't go through that again." Margo replies. "On top of that, I overheard you tell Jessica something that confirmed to me that you don't want anything to do with me or this baby."

"Margo, we wanted to have another child after having Casey for the longest time. Now, we are finally having another child together. I still remember to this day how emotionally shattered you were after having that last miscarriage. I still can't forgive myself knowing how I treated you beforehand or not being there when you needed me the most. What makes you think that I don't want anything to do with our baby?" Tom asks.

"Shortly after you walked out on me and Casey moved out, I went over to your office to drop off a case file for possible charges. I was going to give you the file, tell you about the baby, then leave. You were in there talking to Jessica at the time. While you two were talking, I overheard you tell Jessica that the thought of you being in the same room with me makes you sick. That statement right there confirmed to me that you didn't want anything to do with me or this baby. I just left. There was no point in me telling you about this baby. It just brought up everything from the last miscarriage and I couldn't go through all that again." Margo replies, averting her gaze away from Tom so he wouldn't see the tears rolling down her cheek.

Tom bites his lip, feeling the pangs of hurt stab him when he hears Margo tell him that she overheard him tell Jessica about the thought of him being in the same room with her made him sick and that it confirmed for her that he didn't want anything to do with her or the baby and when she tells him that the painful memories of her last miscarriage were drudged up again because of all this.

"Margo, I am here now and that is the important thing. I am so sorry that you overheard what I said to Jessica. I didn't know you were there. I was heartbroken to find out about the baby from Jill. I was heartbroken to hear that you didn't know if you were ever going to be able to tell me. I am so sorry that all the painful memories of the last miscarriage were brought back to the surface for you and you had to relive all of that and I know that is entirely my fault. If I could take the pain away, I would do so in a heartbeat. I know how bad you wanted to have a little girl of your own for the longest time. I also remember that you were resigned to the fact that we weren't ever going to have another child together and I know that hurt you a lot. I want this baby with you. I want our baby." Tom says as he walks over, crouches down by where Margo is sitting and gently places his hand on her stomach.

Just as Tom places his hand on Margo's stomach, the baby moves.

Margo looks down and sees Tom's hand on her stomach when she feels the baby move.

"That's the first time I've really felt the baby move." Margo says quietly as a tear rolls down her check and Tom continues to gently rub her stomach.

"You okay?" Tom asks.

"Yeah." Margo says quietly as she wipes the tear away from her cheek.

"I know that this separation has been hard on you. Hal told me that you were working an awful lot and barely taking any time off. When I saw you at the police station for the first time in two months, looking all pale and withdrawn—my immediate thought was that your HCV was bothering you. Seeing you like that immediately reminded me of when you were first diagnosed with HCV. I thought I would never have to see you like that again and when I saw you looking like that-that scared me, Margo. That's why I called you that afternoon. I had to find out for myself if you were alright. It was killing me not knowing if you were doing alright, not knowing how the baby was—or even if everything is okay with the baby. I am also aware of what happened with Doc and my walking out might have drudged up other painful memories for you—like the rape. I know it's my fault if those were brought up and I know telling you how sorry I am isn't going to change that." Tom says.

"I had to deal with that too. I don't know which was worse. For two weeks after you walked out, I couldn't even sleep. The nightmares came back and they were just as bad as when I first had them. It just seemed every bad memory I have was brought back to the surface when you walked out—even Bart." Margo says then gets up out of the chair and walks over to the island.

"What do you mean Bart? You haven't seen him for years." Tom replies somewhat confused about what she said about Bart—her former stepfather.

Margo walks back over to the chair and sits down.

"It's things that he told me when I was growing up." Margo says quietly as she looks away, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Listen to me, I told you that I acted impulsively that night I snapped at you and walked out. I told you that I couldn't get what Jill was saying out of my head about what she told me supposedly happened in that locker room. There's more to that and it's something that has been resurfacing for me too. When Jill told me about what she supposedly saw happen in the locker room, before she admitted to lying about the whole thing, I was reminded of bad things that have happened to me before I met you. I thought that after we got married that I would never have to deal with that ever again. It all came back to me and I took it out on you. I realized that after Jill testified on the stand, then all the guilt hit me then. What made it worse was when I saw that you signed the separation papers and I read the note that you wrote, and you included your wedding ring." Tom says as he moves over by the chair where Margo's sitting.

"When I saw how angry you were and the anger in your eyes that night you walked out, it was like Bart was standing right there. You gave me the same angry stare that he would always give me before he started in on me about how I wasn't good enough, how I was a mistake and that I don't ever deserve to be happy or loved. It was like hearing and seeing Bart all over again." Margo says as she looks away from Tom, not wanting him to see the hurt in her eyes and the tears welling up.

Tom is taken aback by what he just heard. He was aware of Bart and how emotionally abusive he was towards Margo when she was growing up, but to hear her say that he reminded her of him that night—Tom felt like his heart was breaking. He was still feeling bad about what he had done and how he treated Margo that night. But to hear that his anger that night reminded her of Bart, was crushing him.

"Margo, I didn't mean to." Tom says as a couple of tears roll down his cheek. "I never meant to be a reminder of Bart. I screwed up big time here—when I snapped at you like that, when I walked out without asking you questions, without trying to make any kind of sense of the situation and what happened with Doc in that locker room. On top of all that, finding out that a lot of painful memories and reminders have been brought back to the surface for you and you having to deal with that all alone—that's my fault. Ever since I found out about all of this, all I wanted to do is talk to you—to see you. I am so sorry that you've had to go through all of this. I've told you before, if I could go back and change all of it, I would. I know I screwed up here, I'm the one that made the mistake of not giving you the benefit of the doubt, and I made the mistake of walking out on you— and our unborn baby. I want to be here for you, and for the baby. You don't have to deal with this pregnancy by yourself. You have already done that once, please, don't put yourself through that again—especially with this one being a high-risk pregnancy."

Margo gets up from the chair, confused by everything that has transpired since she's come home. As she walks over to the island, she feels a sharp pain in her stomach and collapses to her knees. Tom, seeing this, immediately rushes over to her.

"Tom?" Margo says as Tom catches her.

"I'm right here. What's going on?" Tom asks as he helps his wife over to the couch.

"I don't know." Margo says, all scared.

"I'm not going anywhere." Tom says as he grabs the cordless phone and calls for help for his wife….


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

Memorial Hospital ER Waiting Room, shortly after midnight.

Margo and the paramedics were met at Memorial's ER by Dr. Samuels and two nurses, with Tom not far behind them. Margo was taken back right away to be examined because of the stomach pains she had been experiencing. Tom had to stay back in the waiting room. Dr. Samuels assured him that she would send a nurse to get him after she was finished examining Margo.

Tom, anxiously waiting for any word on his wife and unborn child or when he could go back to see her, is pacing around the waiting room. Even though Tom had grown up around Memorial—with his dad being a doctor, he still wasn't sure about being there. While he's pacing, he decides to call Casey to let him know what's going on.

"Hello?" Casey says after answering his cell phone.

"Case, it's me, Dad." Tom says. "Did I wake you?" 

"No, I just got back here to the Lakeview after helping Grandpa Bob and Kim with some stuff after the reception. Where are you calling from?" Casey asks.

"I'm calling from Memorial." Tom says, "I came here with your mom. She was brought here by ambulance."

"What do you mean you're at Memorial with Mom? You said she's out of town. What's going on?" Casey asks, confused about what he had just heard.

"Case, I went over to the house. After you told me that you saw things packed up over there the other day, I had to go over and see for myself. Your mom walked through the front door just as I was coming downstairs." Tom informs his son.

"What happened? Did you guys talk at all?" Casey asks.

"Your mom and I were talking. I told her what happened in court with Jill—about her admitting to me that she lied to me about what she saw happen between your mom and Doc. I told her about the videotape and that I knew about the baby. While we were talking, your mom got up to walk over to the island near the kitchen and she started having a sharp pain in her stomach and collapsed. The pain was bad enough where she couldn't even stand up. I called for an ambulance and I am here at Memorial waiting for word on your mom and the baby. We've only been here for about 20 minutes—but it seems like an eternity." Tom says.

"Do you want me to come down there?" Casey asks, "Or bring you anything?"

"Not right now. I don't know what's going on with your mom right now. When I do find out, I'll let you know." Tom says.

"Dad, what if mom loses this baby?" Casey asks.

"Your mom's going to be fine. Don't assume the worst. I'll let you know as soon as I find out anything." Tom says. "I'm going to go and see if I can find anything out about your mom. I'll call you when I find something out."

"Okay." Casey softly replies.

"Everything's going to be okay with mom and the baby. I'll call you when I find something out. Take it easy and try to get some sleep in the meantime; it's been a long day for everybody." Tom says.

"Okay, I will. Bye Dad." Casey says then hangs up the phone and plops on the bed.

Tom hangs up with Casey and walks over to the nurse's desk.

"Can I help you?" the nurse at the desk asks.

"Yes, I'm Tom Hughes. My wife, Margo, was brought in about a half an hour ago and I am trying to find out if there's any word on her yet. She's pregnant and it's a high-risk pregnancy." Tom replies.

"What was she brought in for?" the nurse asks.

"She was brought in by ambulance because she was experiencing stomach pains." Tom informs her.

"Let me go back and see if I can find anything out for you, Mr. Hughes. I'll be back in a minute or two," the nurse states as she gets up to walk back toward the examination area.

"Thank you." Tom replies.

Tom rubs his hands through his hair, anxiously waiting to hear if there's any word on his wife.

"Mr. Hughes," the nurse calls as she comes back. "Dr. Samuels is waiting for some test results from the lab. She had a rush put on them. You can come back and see your wife. Please follow me."

Tom goes with the nurse to the exam room where Margo is.

"There she is, she's resting comfortably right now. Please let me know if she needs anything or if she has any pain again," the nurse states quietly as she turns to walk away.

"Thank you." Tom replies quietly.

Tom stands there at the doorway, seeing that Margo is asleep—or appears to be asleep. He quietly walks over to the gurney and pulls up a chair to sit by her. As he sits down, he takes her hand into his and gently pushes the strands of hair out of her face then kisses her forehead.

Dr. Samuels walks in a couple of minutes later.

"Tom, I have some results back from the lab." Dr. Samuels says quietly. "Can we step outside real quick?"

"Yeah, sure." Tom says as he gets up.

"I'll be right back." Tom whispers to his sleeping wife then kisses her forehead and walks out of the room to where Dr. Samuels is standing.

"How are she and the baby?" Tom asks.

"The pain Margo was experiencing was from a urinary tract infection. It's common in the first 4-5 months of pregnancy because of the baby growing and pressing on the bladder. That can be treated with a safe antibiotic. Her blood pressure is slightly elevated and with this pregnancy being high risk, that is of some concern. The baby is fine, the heartbeat is steady. I am scheduling an ultrasound for in the morning. I am waiting right now for her liver function tests. The reason why I requested the liver function tests is that Margo's complaining of itching that has been bad at times and I am trying to find out if she has a condition called intrahepatic cholestasis. It's a particular form of jaundice some women develop during pregnancy—usually in the third trimester, but it can happen at any time. Women who have this condition while pregnant usually suffer from itching that can be severe and mild jaundice. It disappears by itself shortly before giving birth." Dr. Samuels states.

"What does that mean?" Tom asks.

"Considering Margo's medical history and the fact that this pregnancy is already a high- risk pregnancy, given her HCV status and her liver transplant. She is going to have to take it extremely easy for the remainder of this pregnancy. Margo is also now going to be monitored very closely. I will know more once I get her liver function tests back. From there, the determination of whether or not Margo will have to be on bed rest for most of this pregnancy will be made then." Dr. Samuels informs Tom.

"Can this be treated at all?" Tom asks.

"There are several treatment options. One is being UDCA. It's one of the most important courses of treatment because it helps with improving the liver function of the mother. Another course of treatment is Vitamin K therapy. In addition, it is recommended that Margo follows a low-fat diet, along with drinking plenty of water. The diet and the water consumption can help alleviate some of the itching Margo maybe experiencing. Using Sarna lotion will also help alleviate the itching. The big one is going to be the stress level. I am going to recommend that Margo takes a leave from her job starting immediately to avoid the high stress levels. Dr. Martinez will discuss the treatments with you further, once I have informed her and she's read everything. I'll be down to check on her in about an hour." Dr. Samuels states.

"Is she going to be able to go home tonight?" Tom asks.

"No, I am having her admitted for observation. A nurse should be in shortly to start the antibiotic treatment for the urinary tract infection." Dr. Samuels informs Tom then starts to walk away.

Tom walks back into the room where Margo is sleeping fitfully. He walks back over to the chair by her bed and reaches down to kiss her forehead. He watches her sleep for a couple of minutes.

"I'm back, honey. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere." Tom quietly tells her as he gently brushes the hair away from her face.

Margo opens her eyes and looks to see Tom sitting there.

"Hey there, how are you feeling? You gave me quite a scare at the house." Tom says.

"Um, still achy-I guess. I'm sorry." Margo says as she looks away.

"Sorry about what?" Tom asks.

"About the baby, about scaring you like that." Margo quietly replies.

"What do you mean about the baby?" Tom asks.

"For possibly losing the baby." Margo replies as she covers her eyes with her arm to hide the tears from Tom.

"Hey, Dr. Samuels just told me that the baby's okay. She told me what was causing the pain and that can be treated. She said a nurse would be in shortly to start the antibiotics for that. Dr. Samuels did tell me that she is going to advise you to take it extremely easy during the rest of this pregnancy. She told me that she's going to recommend that you go on maternity leave immediately because it's important that you avoid as much stress as possible. You and the baby are going to be fine." Tom says as he gently rubs her stomach.

"Great. Hal's not going to like this. I've already been gone for three weeks." Margo quietly replies.

"Hal will understand. You need to take it easy for the baby's sake." Tom says as a nurse walks in.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hughes, Hi. I'm Anna Trenton. I am a nurse on the OB/GYN floor. I came down to let you know that a room opened for you, Mrs. Hughes, there. According to Dr. Samuels, she's admitting you for observation for a couple of days. We're going to get you moved up there. Once you're settled in, I'll get the antibiotic treatment started for the UTI. Dr. Samuels did inform me that she's scheduling you for an ultrasound in the morning. She also mentioned something about Dr. Martinez. Is Dr. Martinez your primary doctor?" Anna asks.

"No. Dr. Carter is my primary doctor. He's a friend of my father-in-law, Dr. Bob Hughes. Dr. Martinez is the liver specialist I've been seeing, and this is a high-risk pregnancy. I had a liver transplant two years ago because I have Hepatitis C." Margo quietly replies.

"I will note that on the chart. How are you feeling otherwise, Mrs. Hughes?" Anna asks.

"Please, call me Margo. I'm still a little achy." Margo replies as two orderlies walk in.

"Margo, this is Jake, and this is Rory. Jake and Rory are going to get you moved up to the OB/GYN floor. They'll take good care of you during transport and I'll see you in your room in about 15 to 20 minutes." Anna states as she walks over to Jake and Rory, "Hey guys, Margo's saying that she's a little achy. Can you guys take a little more precaution with her because she's dealing with a high-risk pregnancy?"

"Sure, not a problem. We'll transport her using the gurney she's on now so we don't have to worry about moving her to another gurney." Jake says.

"Hi Margo, are you all set to move?" Rory asks.

"I guess so." Margo quietly replies.

"Don't worry about a thing. Rory and I are usually the two the nurses call when transporting a patient dealing with a high-risk pregnancy." Jake states.

"Do one of you have the room number to where she's being taken to?" Tom asks. "I promised our son that I would call him when I found out anything."

"Sure, Mr. Hughes. She's being moved to room 1521 on the OB/GYN floor. It's a private room. It's been noted that you're related to the Chief of Staff. We'll take good care of her." Jake replies.

"Thank you, guys." Tom says as he stands up from the chair.

"I'll meet you up there. I promised Casey I would call him to let him know when I found out anything. He knows you're here." Tom says.

"Why did you bother him with this? He's not going to come." Margo quietly says.

"He's worried about you too. He also knows about everything that happened. Casey feels bad about what he told you. I promised him I would call him to let him know when I found something out. I'll be up to your room in a few minutes." Tom states as he takes her hand into his and gives it a gentle squeeze.

Jake and Rory begin to prepare Margo for being moved up to the private room on the OB/GYN floor. Tom leaves the room in the ER and heads towards the waiting room just as Bob walks over to him.

"Son, how is Margo?" Bob asks.

"Dad, what are you doing here? I thought you would be at home. Margo has a UTI and her blood pressure's a little elevated. That's what Dr. Samuels knows right now. She's waiting for the results of the liver function tests to see if Margo has this condition that causes severe itching and mild jaundice. It's called intrahep-something." Tom replies.

"Casey called me right after he spoke with you. I came down here to see how she's doing. You're thinking of intrahepatic cholestasis. I take it Margo's being admitted." Bob says.

"Yeah, she is. Dr. Samuels wants to keep her for observation for a couple of days. Margo doesn't like the fact that Dr. Samuels wants her to take immediate leave from the station, basically starting her maternity leave. I told her Hal will understand and I told her that it's important that she takes it easy for the sake of the baby. She's not going to like hearing that there's a possibility that she might have to be on bed rest for the rest of this pregnancy." Tom states.

"With Intrahepatic Cholestasis, stress can be a trigger for symptoms such as the itching and stress can also make the mild jaundice worse. When did you run into Margo, son?" Bob asks.

"I was at the house. You know how I told you that Casey told me about when he and Chris went over to the house and that Casey discovered that everything that had to do with him, myself, anything with our family had been packed up. I went over there to see for myself, Dad. Margo had packed all that away—Casey's stuff, Daniel's stuff, even my stuff. The pictures, the mementos, everything—she packed up. I even found a box she had packed with the gifts I have given her over the years, Dad. When I came downstairs to leave, Margo walked through the front door." Tom states.

"Did you have a chance to talk at all?" Bob asks.

"Yes, we did." Tom says as he turns his back to his dad.

"What were you able to talk about before Margo was brought here?" Bob asks.

"Where do I want to start? I told her that I know about the baby. She told me she couldn't bring herself to tell me that she's pregnant because of what I did to her the last time when she was pregnant and the horrible reminders of that miscarriage because of my being with Emily that night. She told me how she overheard me tell Jessica how the thought of my being in the same room with her made me sick. Margo concluded then that I don't want anything to do with this baby. She brought up the rape and how for two weeks afterwards, she couldn't even sleep because of the nightmares and that they were just as bad this time around as when she first had them. She even brought up Bart." Tom replies.

"Bart? Her former step-father?" Bob asks, "She hasn't seen him in years. Why Bart?"

"I told her about how angry and hurt I was when Barbara left me at the altar for James. I told her how that night I snapped at her how those feelings of anger and hurt just overcame me. Margo said that when she saw how angry I was that night, it was like Bart was right there. She said that I gave her the same angry stare he would give her before he would lay into her about how she wasn't good enough, how she didn't deserve to be happy or loved, and that she was nothing but a mistake. I reminded Margo of him. She told me that every bad memory she's had basically resurfaced for her. I really screwed up here big time, Dad, and I don't know how or where to start to try to make things right with her. I just don't know." Tom states as he rubs his hands through his hair.

"Staying with her while she's here would be a good start." Bob suggests.

"That's what I was planning to do. I told her that I want this baby with her and that she shouldn't have to go through this pregnancy by herself, especially with this being a high- risk pregnancy. I told her that I want to be there for her and the baby. After I told her that, she got up and didn't even make it over to the island when she felt the pain in her stomach." Tom states.

"Where's Margo now?" Bob asks.

"They were transporting her to a private room on the OB floor. I told Margo I was going to call Casey to let him know what was going on and to let him know that she's going to be here for a couple of days." Tom replies.

"Why don't I go up to the OB floor with you? You can check to see if Margo's settled in her room and I'll take care of calling Casey and letting him know what's going on. Do you want him to come? I was thinking about asking him to at least bring you a change of clothes at least so you can change out of that tux." Bob says.

"If he's still awake. If he's not, leave him a message to come in the morning. A change of clothes might be nice so I can get out of this tux that I've been in all day." Tom states.

A few minutes later, Tom and Bob walk out of the elevator when it stops at the OB/GYN floor and walk over towards the nurses' station.

"Hello, Dr. Hughes. Nobody was expecting you to come in tonight." Anna says as she looks up from the chart she was updating.

"Hi, Anna. I wasn't planning on coming her tonight. Margo Hughes is my daughter-in-law and she was brought here tonight. My grandson called me to let me know that she was here. Anna, have you met my son, Tom? He's Margo's husband." Bob states.

"Yes, we met in the exam room down in emergency. Mr. Hughes, I started the IV antibiotics for your wife's infection about fifteen minutes ago. She is settled in her room and she's resting comfortably. Margo is hooked up to a fetal monitor tonight so we can monitor the baby's heart rate. When I went into her room to check on her and start the antibiotics, she was complaining of some itching that was pretty bad. I gave her some hydrocortisone cream to put on the spots. I called Dr. Samuels and she informed me that she is going to have the pharmacy check to see if they have any Sarna lotion available to be brought up for her. She also informed me that she is going to prescribe that lotion for Margo for the rest of her pregnancy. If you would like, I can see about a cot brought to her room for you, Mr. Hughes. I'll be in to check her blood pressure again in about an hour, hour and a half." Anna states.

"Yes, that would be great. Thank you." Tom replies.

"I'll try to get a hold of someone in housekeeping and see what can be done tonight, Mr. Hughes." Anna states.

"Is there anything that you need, Dr. Hughes?" Anna asks.

"Not right now. Thank you, Anna. Tom, I'm going to call Casey. Why don't you go see Margo?" Bob asks.

"I will. Thanks Dad." Tom states. "By the way, can you not let everybody know that Margo's back in town until we know what's going on?"

"Sure, I can do that. Remember, you and Margo will work things out. You have to believe it. It may take some time, but go slowly with this so Margo doesn't get all stressed out about this. You both should really take this opportunity to really talk with each other and you'll get through this. You both have something to look forward to with this baby. Remember that." Bob says as he walks towards the other phone at the nurses' station to call Casey.

"I will, Dad." Tom says then walks over to the door for room 1521,

Tom quietly opens the door and sees Margo laying there asleep. He quietly walks over to the bed and sits down on the bed next to her carefully so not to wake her up. He places his hand on Margo's stomach and starts to gently rub it, trying not to interfere with the fetal monitor.

"Do you know how long we've been waiting for you?" Tom whispers as he leans down towards Margo's stomach.

"Mommy and Daddy have been waiting for you to come along for a long time. We love you very much." Tom whispers as he kisses Margo's stomach, causing her to stir slightly.

Tom gets up from the bed and walks over to the chair to pick it up to bring it by Margo's bed. Once he does, he puts the chair down and turns to Margo and gently kisses her forehead.

"Good night." Tom quietly whispers to her then takes off his tux coat and sits down in the chair and watches her sleep until he can't fight falling asleep anymore.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

Margo's room at Memorial, 8:30 am

Tom wakes up after sleeping in the chair when he hears a knock on the door. He stretches then walks over to the door and sees Casey standing there with a gym bag in his hand.

"I wasn't sure if I should come in," Casey says quietly. "Um, how's mom?"

"Come on in. She's still asleep. She's going to be here for a couple of days and then she is going to have to take it extremely easy for the rest of the pregnancy. Right now, we're waiting to find out the results of her liver function tests and to see if she has a condition called intrahepatic cholestasis. It can affect pregnant women and with your mom having HCV and having had a liver transplant, there's a very good chance she has it. Stress apparently aggravates this condition, so that's why it's important that she take it easy for the rest of her pregnancy. That's if Dr. Samuels and Dr. Martinez don't recommend bed rest until she has the baby." Tom quietly states.

"Who is Dr. Martinez?" Casey quietly asks. "I thought she was seeing Dr. Bartlett, the doctor who performed her transplant surgery."

"Your mom was seeing Dr. Bartlett. She switched doctors after Dr. Bartlett suggested she terminate the pregnancy because of her illness." Tom quietly replies as he looks over at a sleeping Margo.

"What? What do you mean terminating the pregnancy?" Casey asks, careful not to wake his mom.

"I mean that Dr. Bartlett wanted your mom to have an abortion. She asked Grandpa to go with her to talk to Dr. Samuels to seek a second opinion. Dr. Samuels put her in touch with Dr. Martinez after telling your mom that terminating the pregnancy was on the extreme side. Dr. Martinez told your mom that she could go through with the pregnancy, but she's going to be monitored closely." Tom replies.

"Mom's not going to like having to take it easy until she has the baby." Casey quietly states.

"She's already expressed her displeasure on hearing that. What's with the bag?" Tom asks, looking down at the gym bag Casey has in his hand.

"Oh, this? Grandpa called and left a message to let me know about mom. He asked if I could bring a change of clothes for you. I packed a long-sleeved t-shirt, pajama pants, a t-shirt, your tennis shoes and your travel kit. I stopped over at the house and grabbed a pair of jeans and a pull over for you. I also packed a pair of pajamas for Mom in case she wanted them instead of the hospital gown. I figured that way, she might be more comfortable, and I stopped at the bookstore along the way and picked up the new Ann Rule novel so she would have something to read while she's here." Casey states quietly as he hands the bag to his dad. "I figured it was the least I can do. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't want to see me right now."

"You never know. She might want to. She did ask me last night when I told her I was going to call you why I bothered you with her being here. I told her that you're worried about her too and that you feel really bad about what you said to her." Tom quietly says as he takes the bag from Casey.

"Dad, I do feel bad. I told her I don't want anything to do with her because of this. I know I hurt her when I said that to her. I could tell that it crushed her. I don't think she's going to want to see me." Casey says.

Margo starts to stir. Tom and Casey look over to her in bed. Margo opens her eyes and sees that not only Tom is still there, but Casey standing there as well.

"Hey there. How are you feeling this morning?" Tom asks, diverting his attention from Casey to Margo.

"I'm still a little achy. Uh, did you stay last night?" Margo asks, still somewhat sleepy.

"Yes, I did. When I came up here last night, you were asleep. I decided to stay in case something happened." Tom replies. "You were pretty exhausted."

"I guess I was." Margo quietly replies.

"Uh, Dad, I think I'm going to go." Casey says.

"Why don't you stay and try to talk with your mom? You two do need to talk. Just remember, don't get her stressed out. She needs to take it easy. I'm going to leave you two alone to talk and go take a shower. It will be okay. Just talk to her." Tom says as he puts his hand on Casey's shoulder to try to reassure him then walks over to the bathroom and closes the door behind him.

"What's with the cast?" Margo asks.

"This?" Casey asks as he looks at his cast. "I broke a bone in my hand and a finger. I have to have surgery on Tuesday to reset the bone in my hand."

"What happened?" Margo asks.

"I was in gym class four weeks ago. We were playing flag football when I tripped and fell. One of the other guys didn't see me laying there and accidentally stepped on my hand. I tried calling your cell phone from the nurse's office at school, but all I got was a message saying that your cell phone was temporarily shut off." Casey replies. "I tried calling you before calling Dad."

"I'm sorry about that. I had it shut off while I was out of town. I left town to get away from things. I needed to get away for a while." Margo says.

"I brought you a pair of your own pajamas in case you don't want to wear that hospital gown and I also brought you the new Ann Rule novel, so you at least have something to read while you're here. They're in the bag that I gave to Dad, along with a change of clothes for him." Casey says, still standing at the foot of the bed.

"Thanks." Margo quietly says.

"I noticed that you packed up my stuff, along with Dad and Daniel's stuff. You didn't have to do that, Mom." Casey says looking down at the cast on his hand.

"Casey, listen. I had the same conversation with your dad last night. Everything I packed up, your things, your dad's things, Daniel's, the pictures, mementos—all of it, was nothing but a constant reminder of your dad walking out on me and you not wanting anything to do with me. There was no point for me keeping all that stuff out. My marriage to your dad is over and I've finally have begun to accept that fact. You're old enough to decide on which parent you want to live with, and you've pretty much made that choice." Margo states.

"Mom, I reacted to what I thought was the truth. After Dad and grandpa told me what happened in court, I was so confused. I really didn't know who I was angrier with—Jill for lying about what happened or Dad for believing her over you. I laid there, awake in bed, thinking about what I said to you about not wanting anything to do with you ever again. I keep thinking that you might not want anything to do with me after what I said. When I went over to the house with Chris to get Grandpa Chris's pocket watch and saw everything packed up, it kind of confirmed for me that you don't want anything to do with me because of all of this." Casey says as he sits on the bed next to his mom's feet.

"Case..." Margo says

"Mom," Casey interrupts, "I know what I said to you about not wanting anything to do with you. I was wrong and I realize that now. I am so sorry for telling you that I didn't want anything to do with you ever again. I wasn't thinking when I said that. I saw how it crushed you after I said that. I can totally understand if you don't want me to come back here while you're here." Casey says as he looks down at his cast.

"Case, I was hoping to get a chance to explain things to you and what really happened. I was really hurt when you didn't give me that chance. That's what hurt the most about this whole thing—I didn't get that chance. Both you and your dad didn't give me that chance." Margo says as she curls up in the bed and looks away from Casey.

"Mom, I know that I didn't give you the chance—just like Dad. We were both wrong in doing that. Dad's been beating himself over that for the past couple of weeks. I feel extremely guilty over telling you that I didn't want anything to do with you ever again. I am really sorry about what I said to you. I just hope that you can eventually forgive me, and Dad, for hurting you like this." Casey says just as Tom walks out of the bathroom.

"I'm going to need time on that one." Margo says quietly as she avoids looking at her son.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Casey says as Tom walks out of the bathroom.

"What's going on?" Tom asks as he sets the bag down on the chair.

"I think I might have made things worse with Mom. Maybe I should get out of here. Do you want me to take your tux so Grandma Kim can return it along with mine, Chris, and Grandpa Bob's?" Casey asks as he runs his fingers through his hair.

"Hey, are you okay?" Tom asks as he looks over at Margo who is curled up under the covers looking away from her estranged husband and son.

"I have a headache. Can I have some time alone, please?" Margo asks quietly.

Anna quietly knocks on the door and walks in.

"Hi. Margo, how are you feeling this morning?" Anna asks as she walks over to the bed.

"I have a headache this morning." Margo quietly responds.

"It could be from the IV antibiotic. Are you still having the achy feeling from earlier this morning" Anna asks.

"I'm still feeling a little achy." Margo replies.

"I can bring in some Tylenol for you. Here's a menu card, why don't you fill out what you would like for meals today so I can get that down to the cafeteria. I'll be back in a couple of minutes." Anna says.

"Anna, there was something mentioned about an ultrasound this morning. Do you have any idea when that is scheduled for?" Tom asks, stopping Anna before she walks out.

"I can go check on that. I'll be back in a couple of minutes." Anna replies then walks out of the room.

"Tom, Casey, can I have some time alone, please? I have this headache and I could really use some time to myself." Margo pleads. "You guys don't need to be here because of me."

"Margo, I told you I'm not going anywhere. I'm not. You've already been through enough with this baby by yourself. Besides, I need to know that you and the baby are going to be okay and I'm not going anywhere until we know what's going on, okay? I'll go with Casey and get something to eat after Anna comes back about the ultrasound. That way you can have some time to yourself. Just do me a favor, please?" Tom asks as he walks over to the bed and gently rubs Margo's arm.

"What?" Margo asks quietly as she looks over at the fetal monitor, trying to divert any eye contact from Tom.

"Will you take it easy, please? I think talking with Casey might have upset you. Please don't get so worked up over it. Getting stressed out right now is not good right now for either you or the baby. Remember that. Dr. Samuels also said that stress could trigger the itching that you've had. While I'm with Casey, why don't you change into the pajamas that Casey brought so that you might be more comfortable?" Tom suggests as he grabs the bag from the other chair and places it on the bed next to her.

"Okay." Margo quietly replies just as Anna opens the door and walks in.

"Margo, here's some Tylenol for your headache. This was also dropped off at the nurses' station for you. It's Sarna lotion. It's lotion that Dr. Samuels prescribed to help with your itching." Anna states.

"Here's the menu card that you asked for me to fill out. I was wondering if it's okay to change into some pajamas my son brought me." Margo inquires.

"I don't see why that would be a problem, if you feel more comfortable wearing those—I don't have any problem with that. I also just wanted to let you know that my shift is up, and I'll be back tonight. Saree is going to be taking over for me. She's going to be in about a half an hour to check your blood pressure. When I checked it last night, it was down—but not by a whole lot. I already spoke with her about what is going on. I'll see you tonight." Anna states.

"Did you find anything out about the ultrasound?" Tom asks.

"Yes, I did, Mr. Hughes. Dr. Samuels was able to get one scheduled for 1:30 this afternoon. She should also have the liver function test results back by then, too. I will go and get this to the cafeteria so that they can get Margo's breakfast up here." Anna states. "Have a good day, I will see you tonight."

"Thanks. Bye." Tom states as Anna walks out of the room.

"You take it easy and I'll be back in a little while. Do you want me to bring you back anything from the cafeteria?" Tom asks.

"Can you see if they have any hot tea? If they do, could you bring me some with lemon and honey? Otherwise, if they don't, a mixed berry smoothie will be fine." Margo replies.

"Okay. I'll be back. Remember take it easy. I have my cell phone on me if you need anything." Tom says as he squeezes her hand, trying to reassure her that everything is going to be okay.

Tom and Casey walk out of Margo's room.

"I don't think Mom was ready to see me." Casey states.

"She's going to need time. Why don't we go get some breakfast and we can talk about this down in the cafeteria?" Tom says as he stops by the nurses' station.

"Can I help you, sir?" a nurse asks.

"Yes, I was wondering if I can leave a message for Saree that I am going to be down at the cafeteria." Tom inquires.

"I'm Saree. Who are you?" Saree asks.

"I'm Tom Hughes. My wife, Margo, is in room 1521. Anna Trenton said that you were going to be taking over because her shift was up." Tom replies.

"Yes, Mr. Hughes. Anna informed me of what was going on with your wife. It says here on her chart that this is a high-risk pregnancy because she has HCV and had a liver transplant, correct?" Saree inquires.

"Yes, that is correct." Tom replies.

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure. I am going to go check her blood pressure here in about 15 minutes. It also looks like that a cot has been ordered for you. Housekeeping just informed me that they are bringing one up for you here in about a half an hour. Also, Dr. Samuels has an ultrasound scheduled for her around 1:30 pm. If your wife would like, I can have arrangements made to have the ultrasound machine brought up to her room." Saree states.

"That would be up to Margo. I should be gone for about an hour. This is my and Margo's son, Casey. We're going to go get some breakfast." Tom states as Casey silently stands there.

"Is there a phone number that you could be contacted at in the case of an emergency?" Saree asks.

"Yes, it's 555-9812." Tom replies.

"Okay, then. I'll see you back up here in about an hour." Saree states.

"Thank you.' Tom says.

"You're welcome, Mr. Hughes." Saree replies as she answers the phone.

Just as Tom and Casey start to walk over to the elevators to go to the cafeteria, Chris approaches them.

"Chris, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at Susan's with Alison?" Tom asks.

"I had a patient who was brought into the ER earlier this week who was a victim of a drunk driving wreck and she was declared brain dead yesterday afternoon. She was about 31 weeks pregnant at the time of the crash. Her baby was delivered this morning via C-section. I came in this morning to discuss the options with her family about organ donation and to fill out the paperwork for the Transplant Network and to fill out the paperwork for her death certificate. Alison and I don't have to be over to Susan's until about 1:30 this afternoon anyway. Emily came over and she and Alison were going to go run some last-minute errands before this afternoon. Alison and I are leaving tonight for Antigua for our honeymoon. What are you doing here?" Chris asks.

"Margo was brought in late last night/early this morning because of stomach pains she was experiencing. It turns out she has a UTI and her blood pressure was elevated. Dr. Samuels had some other tests ran and we're waiting to hear if Margo has this condition called intrahepatic cholestasis. She's going to be here for a couple of days for observation." Tom replies.

"Margo's back in town? When did she come back?" Chris asks.

"She came home late last night. I went over to the house and when I was coming downstairs, about to leave, Margo walked through the front door." Tom replies.

"What were you doing over at the house?" Chris asks.

"I told him that Mom had packed up my stuff, his stuff, Daniel's things, mementos—basically anything having to do with us. Remember when we went over there after my appointment with Dr. Schiller to get Grandpa Chris's pocket watch and we walked through the front door and saw all the stuff was packed up." Casey states.

"Yeah, I remember seeing that and you couldn't believe it when you walked around. I take it you guys aren't coming over then." Chris implies.

"I might. I don't know. I have homework I have to get done before Tuesday because I won't be in school for the rest of the week because of my surgery." Casey states.

"No, sorry. I plan on staying here with Margo. She is supposed to be having an ultrasound this afternoon and we should know more about that condition I told you about and whether or not she has it." Tom replies.

"Is your office going to need anything in particular relating to this patient and her passing away in regards to possible charges?" Chris asks.

"I will take a look at the case when I get the file on the investigation. I will call Hal in the morning to see where things are at. If I need anything, I can contact Dad and get the information." Tom replies.

"Hal should be over at Susan's. I'll let him know that she's not going to survive her injuries." Chris states.

"Okay. Casey and I are going to go get something to eat. I'll talk to you when you get back. Have a great time." Tom states. "By the way, can you not tell everybody that Margo's back in town. I asked Dad not to. It's so that Margo doesn't get stressed out with everybody coming to see her and so that we can find out what's going on."

"I can do that. Sure, not a problem. Thanks, bro. I'll talk to you later." Chris says.

"Hey Case, good luck with your surgery. I'll try giving either your dad or my dad a call to see how it went." Chris tells his nephew.

"Thanks, man. Have a great trip." Casey say as he walks away with his dad and over to the elevators.

Memorial Hospital Cafeteria, 9:30 am

Tom walks back over to the table after refilling his coffee. He notices that Casey picking at the blueberry muffin he ordered.

"Hey, what's wrong? You've been real quiet since we've been down here. You've also been picking at that muffin there, bud." Tom says as he sits down.

"I think I've might have made things worse with Mom than they already are." Casey replies quietly.

"What did you talk about with her?" Tom asks as he takes a drink of his coffee.

"Mom asked about the cast. I told her what happened and that I have to have surgery. I told her that I tried calling her cell phone before I called you and that her cell was temporarily shut off. I told her that she didn't need to pack up our stuff. She told me that it was nothing but a reminder to her that your marriage is over and me not wanting anything to do with her. I apologized about what I said about not wanting anything to do with her. I told her that I reacted to what I thought was the truth and that I saw how it crushed her when I told her that. I told her that I feel really guilty about what I said and I asked if she would be able to forgive me, which I don't think is going to happen." Casey replies.

"What did she say after you asked her?" Tom asks.

"She said that she needed time on that one." Casey quietly replies.

"Yes, she's going to need time on that one. It's not just you, Case. She's also going to need time if she's going to forgive me. We both hurt her pretty bad. This whole thing with Doc has made some pretty bad memories resurface for your mom and she's been dealing with everything alone. She's going to need time. This whole situation has definitely taken a toll on her and possibly on your little brother or sister. Right now, we have to make sure that your mom avoids stress as much as possible until the baby is born. From now on, we need to show your mom that we're there for her and try to talk things through. If things get real tense, then back off so that something doesn't happen to your mom or the baby. Okay?" Tom asks.

"Okay." Casey says quietly. "Dad, do you think Mom would have a problem with me staying at the house after my surgery? I really would like to sleep in my own bed. I don't like the bed I've been sleeping in at the Lakeview. I think you should talk to Grandma Lisa about getting those adjustable mattresses—where you can have it as soft or as firm as you like."

"I'll talk to your mom and see what she says. I don't think she would. I'll let you know." Tom says as his cell phone rings. "The mattress thing, you can bring that one up with Grandma."

"Tom Hughes" Tom replies as he answers his phone.

"It's me." Margo says quietly.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Tom asks.

"Yeah, we're still hanging in there. I was wondering if you can do something for me." Margo replies.

"Sure. What's going on?" Tom asks.

"Do they have any kind of muffins down there?" Margo asks.

"Yeah, they do. There's banana nut, blueberry, apple cinnamon, maple nut. What's wrong?" Tom asks.

"I just don't like what I chose for breakfast. The eggs are runny, and the oatmeal was only lukewarm. Can you bring me an apple cinnamon muffin?" Margo asks.

"I can do that. Is there anything else that you would like?"

"Maybe some milk or orange juice." Margo replies.

"Do you still want the hot tea?" Tom asks.

"Not right now. Maybe later." Margo replies.

"I'll be back up there in a few minutes with those. I'll see you then." Tom states.

"Bye." Margo quietly says.

"Bye." Tom says as he hangs up.

"That was Mom, I take it." Casey states.

"Yeah, it was. She didn't like what she chose for breakfast this morning and she asked if I could bring something back for her from here." Tom replies.

"I've never been a big fan of hospital food." Casey states.

"I was thinking about calling Grandma Lisa and see if she could bring something by from the Mona Lisa for lunch or dinner tonight for your mom and I. Do you want me to have her bring something over for you?" Tom asks.

"I was thinking about staying with Grandpa Bob and Grandma Kim tonight. When Grandpa called this morning, he invited me to spend the night at their house. Emily was going to let Grandpa take Daniel tonight so we could hang out before I have my surgery." Casey replies. "Are you going to be staying here again tonight with Mom?" 

"Probably. I'm going to have to go over to the office in the morning to check on a couple of things. It all depends on how long she's going to be here for. I am going to go get a muffin and the juice for your mom and bring that up to her. Are you going to be okay?" Tom asks.

"I'll be fine. I'm going to call Grandpa to see if he can come pick me up and take me over to the Lakeview so I can get some things from over there." Casey replies.

"Okay. I'll call you when I find out anything more about your mom and I'll let you know what she says about you staying over at the house after your surgery. I'll talk to you later." Tom states as he gets up. "It's going to be okay."

"I know. I guess I'll talk to you later." Casey replies as Tom walks over to the line.

After picking up an apple-cinnamon muffin, some strawberry yogurt, a banana, a bottle of orange juice and a coffee from the cafeteria and a stop at the hospital gift shop to pick up a copy of _The Argus_, Tom makes his way back up to Margo's room.

As Tom walks into Margo's room, he notices that Margo is asleep. He quietly sets the bag down, along with his coffee and his newspaper then walks over to the bed. As he brushes the hair out of Margo's face, Saree walks in.

"Hi. How long has she been asleep?" Saree asks quietly.

"I just got back up here. She couldn't have been asleep for very long. I just got off the phone with her about twenty minutes ago. She called when I was down at the cafeteria with Casey." Tom quietly replies as he walks over to the chair.

"I would have been in here sooner to check Margo's blood pressure. I was in with a patient who was in labor. I see she didn't eat much of her breakfast." Saree quietly states.

"Yeah, Margo called me while I was down with Casey. She asked if I could bring a muffin back for her. She said something about the eggs being runny and something about the oatmeal. I brought her a muffin, some yogurt and a bottle of orange juice. I was wondering if it would be okay if I had some thing delivered here for Margo and me from the Mona Lisa. My mom is the owner." Tom informs Saree.

"I don't see why that wouldn't be the problem. Were you planning on for lunch or supper?" Saree quietly asks.

"I was thinking about supper." Tom replies.

"Just let me know so I can cancel Margo's request for the kitchen." Saree quietly states as she carefully slips the blood pressure cuff under Margo's arm.

Tom stands there quietly as Saree checks Margo's blood pressure and the fetal monitor.

"Margo's blood pressure is still a little high. It's not as high as it was last night. It's come down some. I'll be back in a couple of hours to check it again. Everything looks good with the baby. Its heart rate has been steady, so that is a good sign there. The cot was delivered just after you left with your son. It's right over there in the corner. They just dropped off a couple of pillows and a blanket for you about thirty minutes ago. I was able to arrange for the ultrasound technician to come here with the machine instead of moving her for it. Is there anything else that you know she might need?" Saree quietly asks as she writes down Margo's blood pressure.

"Not that I know of. I know she was complaining of having a headache earlier this morning and Anna brought her some Tylenol, along with a bottle of the Sarna lotion to help with her itching. Thanks." Tom quietly replies.

"Okay, I'll be back in a couple of hours to check on Margo again and to see how she's doing. The ultrasound technician will be in around 1:15 to set up and Dr. Samuels should be in around 1:30 then. I'll see you two later." Saree quietly says as she walks out of the room.

Tom walks over to the bed. He notices how peaceful his wife looks, asleep. Thinking to himself about how he hates to wake her up, knowing that she could use the extra sleep right now, Tom leans down over his wife and brushes her hair away from her face and ear.

"Hey. I'm back and I brought you something to eat." Tom quietly says to her as he gently rubs her arm, hoping to get her to wake up.

"Mmmmm" Margo manages to get out while she stirs.

"Why don't you wake up and eat something, then you can go back to sleep for a while." Tom quietly says to her, "I know you don't want to wake up."

"What did you bring?" Margo asks, still half asleep.

"I brought you an apple cinnamon muffin, some strawberry yogurt, a banana, and some orange juice. Why don't you at least have the yogurt and the juice, so they don't go bad? If you want, you can save the muffin and the banana for later." Tom quietly replies.

Margo slowly wakes up. She sees that Tom is the only one that came back to the room.

"Where's Case?" Margo quietly asks.

"Casey went over to Dad and Kim's. He wanted to work on some homework and hang out with Daniel before he has his surgery on Tuesday. Besides, he thinks that he made things worse with you and he kept saying that he knows you don't want him around." Tom replies.

"I was actually surprised that he even showed up, considering he told me he doesn't want anything to do with me." Margo says as she looks away.

"Well, you'll be surprised to know that he asked me if it would be okay with you if he stayed at the house after he had his surgery. He said that he hates the beds at the Lakeview and that he really would like to sleep in his own bed after his surgery." Tom states.

"I don't know. First of all, we don't know how long I am going to be here. The other thing is that you told me that I have to take it easy until I have the baby." Margo replies.

"We'll figure something out. What I told you about taking it easy until you have the baby wasn't my order. That would be Dr. Samuels's order. We can talk about that later. Why don't you get something to eat since you didn't eat most of your breakfast?" Tom states.

"What did you bring?" Margo asks.

"I brought you an apple cinnamon muffin, a container of strawberry yogurt, a banana, and a bottle of orange juice. It's right here in the bag." Tom states as he hands Margo the bag from the cafeteria.

"Thanks." Margo says quietly as she takes the bag from Tom and opens it to take them out.

"Are you feeling any better?" Tom asks as he reaches for his coffee and the copy of _The Argus_ he brought back with him.

"Somewhat. I still kind of have the headache. I don't feel as achy as I did when I was brought here." Margo replies.

"Saree came in right after I came back. You were still sleeping. She checked your blood pressure and she said it was still a little high. She said that it has come down some since you were brought in. The ultrasound is scheduled for 1:30 this afternoon. Saree arranged for it to be done here in the room. She said that the tech is going to be here around 1:15 to set up and Dr. Samuels should be here about 1:30. Anna told me this morning before she left that Dr. Samuels should have the results of some of the tests that she had ran when you were brought in." Tom states.

"I guess we'll know more then. Don't you have something going on today with Chris and Alison?" Margo asks quietly as she peels the lid off from the yogurt and starts to take a bite.

"No. I don't. I spoke with Chris this morning. He came in to fill out some paperwork a patient of his who was brought to the ER and died this morning. I told him what was going on. Besides he and Alison are leaving tonight for Antigua. They weren't planning on having a whole lot of people over at Susan's anyway. He knows what's going on." Tom replies.

"Great. Everybody is going to know that I am back in town." Margo says as she sinks back into the pillow.

"No, I asked Dad and Chris not to tell anybody, so you don't get stressed out with everybody coming here to see you and until we find out what's going on with you and the baby." Tom states. "Besides, I was hoping that maybe you and I could use this time to talk some more."

"I don't know." Margo says as she diverts her gaze away from Tom.

"You don't know about what?" Tom asks.

"If talking about all of this is really a good idea right now." Margo says quietly.

"Is it because of what happened back at the house?" Tom asks as he sits on the bed next to her.

"Yeah, kinda. We were talking about things then and look what happened. Look where I ended up, here." Margo says sarcastically as she finishes the yogurt.

"What are you trying to say?" Tom asks, "Are you trying to tell me that you don't want to try to work things out?"

"I don't know. Right now, I just don't know what to think or even believe anymore about what's happened." Margo replies quietly.

"Does this have to do with all the bad memories, and everything being brought back up for you?" Tom asks.

"Yeah, somewhat." Margo replies as she looks away from Tom.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tom asks. "If it starts to bother you, let me know and we can stop talking about it. I don't want you to get all stressed out by all of this. We can take this slow or what ever pace you feel comfortable with."

"I just don't know where to start. I just don't know." Margo says quietly.

"Are you feeling overwhelmed right now with everything that has happened since last night?" Tom asks

"Yeah, somewhat." Margo says as she stifles out a yawn and starts to rub her neck and shoulder.

"You okay, there?" Tom asks, noticing Margo rub her shoulder and neck.

"My shoulder and my neck are a little knotted up. I don't know if it's because I slept funny on that side last night or because I don't like hospital beds." Margo replies.

"Are you still tired?" Tom asks.

"A little. I just don't know if I can go back to sleep." Margo says quietly. "I guess I'm too wound up right now."

"Would a neck rub help? It could help you relax. You've got a couple of hours before the ultrasound to take a nap. Speaking of that, I was going to ask if you want me to stick around for the ultrasound." Tom states.

"Yeah." Margo replies.

"Yeah, what? Was that for you wanting me to stick around for the ultrasound or for the neck rub?" Tom asks.

"For both." Margo quietly replies. "My neck and shoulder are really bothering me right now and you being here for the ultrasound."

"What's wrong? You seem to be down or bummed out." Tom says as he gets up to sit behind Margo.

"I'm a little scared." Margo says as she sits up and scoots forward on the bed so Tom can sit behind her.

"About what?" Tom asks as he begins to massage her neck and shoulders.

"I'm scared that something could be wrong with the baby." Margo replies as she hangs her head.

"What makes you think that?" Tom asks, continuing to massage her neck and shoulders hoping to get Margo to relax.

"A number of things—my age, my HCV status, the liver transplant, my meds. Even though I've been told everything is fine when I've had my appointments, I haven't been able to get the thought out of my head that there could be something wrong with the baby. " Margo replies quietly.

"You and the baby are going to be fine. Okay? Don't get yourself all worried and stressed out about this. We both know that stress of any kind isn't good for you right now. That's why Dr. Samuels wants you to start your maternity leave immediately so you can avoid the stress that comes with your job." Tom states as he reaches around Margo and gently rubs her slightly rounded stomach.

"It's something that's been in the back of my mind since I found out about this pregnancy. I just can't shake that feeling." Margo quietly replies as she reaches for the bottle of orange juice and starts to drink some of it.

"Why don't you relax? We'll know more when Dr. Samuels comes for the ultrasound and to let us know what your test results are. I'll work on getting these knots out of your neck and shoulders and why don't you try getting some more sleep before the ultrasound, okay? The extra rest would definitely do you some good." Tom states as he takes the bottle of orange juice from her and sets it on the tray table then resumes massaging Margo's shoulders and neck, hoping to release the tension that has built up in her muscles.

After a few minutes of massaging Margo's neck and shoulders, Tom notices that Margo is having a hard time keeping her head up. He wonders if she is starting to fall asleep. Margo, who can't fight keeping her eyes open, quietly closes her eyes and starts drifting off.

"Wow, you're really knotted up here." Tom quietly states as he works on a knot in Margo's shoulder.

After working on the knot in Margo's shoulder and not getting any response from her, Tom gently leans Margo back against him and notices that she has fallen asleep. He then gently lays Margo's head on his shoulder and kisses her forehead.

"You and the baby are going to be okay." Tom whispers to her as he brushes his lips against her forehead and wraps one arm around her shoulder then starts gently rubbing Margo's stomach with his other hand as he feels the baby starting to move.

As Tom sits there with Margo asleep in his arms, he closes his eyes, leans his head against Margo's and starts to think back to her first night at home since she had her liver transplant.

_After seeing Bob, Kim, and Nancy out, Tom walks back over to the couch where Margo is sitting with her feet up on the coffee table. _

"_How are you doing there?" Tom asks as he starts to massage Margo's shoulders._

"_I'm starting to get tired, but I am definitely happy to be home." Margo says as she leans her head back. "That feels so good."_

"_You don't know how happy I am to finally have you home." Tom says as he kisses his wife's forehead. "It is so good to have you home. Casey's definitely happy to have you home, too."_

"_It's good to be home. I am so looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight." Margo replies looking around, "Where did Casey go?"_

"_He went upstairs not long before Dad, Kim, and Gram left." Tom replies as he walks around the couch and sits down next to his wife. "Do you want to know what I was thinking?" _

"_What would that be?" Margo asks as she lays her head on Tom's shoulder._

"_I was thinking about not waiting any longer and getting you upstairs." Tom replies._

"_That sounds really good to me." Margo implies as Tom gets up from off the couch and scoops Margo up off the couch to carry her upstairs. _

"_Wow, what's this for?" Margo asks as she wraps her arms around Tom's neck._

"_Just because I love you." Tom replies as he brushes his lips against hers._

"_I love you, too." Margo says as she kisses him then lays her head on Tom's shoulder._

"_Let's get you upstairs then." Tom says as he kisses her forehead again._

"_Yeah, let's go." Margo quietly replies as Tom starts to walk over towards the stairs. _

_As he finishes carefully climbing the stairs and starts walking toward their bedroom, he notices that Margo's eyes are closed. _

"_Hey, we're almost there." Tom says as he looks down at his wife._

"_Mmmmm…" Margo replies as Tom carefully opens the door. _

_Tom walks over to the bed and gently lays Margo down as she opens her eyes._

"_I thought I would never get to lie down in my own bed again." Margo states as she gingerly gets up to pull back the covers then sits back down on their bed._

"_Feels good, doesn't it?" Tom asks as he brings Margo a pair of her own pajamas. "I thought you would like these." _

"_And to wear my own pajamas again." Margo says as she takes the pajamas from Tom. _

"_Here, let me help you." Tom says as he begins to help Margo change out of her shirt and track pants and into her pajamas. "Besides, I have a surprise for you." _

"_Oh really? What would that be?" Margo asks. _

"_I am taking tomorrow off from work." Tom replies as he changes into his pajama pants._

"_I thought you had a real busy week this week." Margo surprisingly replies._

"_I managed to reschedule my appointments for tomorrow. I just told them that you were coming home from the hospital. The clients I was supposed to meet with tomorrow understood the situation." Tom states._

"_So, what do you have in mind for tomorrow, counselor?" Margo asks as she carefully climbs into her own bed. _

"_I was thinking of spending the day in bed with you, after Casey leaves for school in the morning." Tom implies as he crawls into bed besides his wife._

"_Really?" Margo asks as Tom pulls up the covers._

"_Okay, instead of actually thinking about spending the day in bed with you tomorrow, I actually planned it. I figured that since it's been a long time since we've done this and have actually had the day to ourselves, without any interruptions, and since tomorrow's going to be your first full day back at home, I thought tomorrow would definitely be the perfect day to do just that—stay in bed all day, just the two of us." Tom replies as he snuggles up to his wife and wraps his arms around her._

"_I definitely like that plan, baby." Margo replies as she lays her head on Tom's shoulder and snuggles up to her husband._

"_I thought you would." Tom replies as he brushes his lips against Margo's. "I can't tell you how much I missed having you here in bed with me."_

"_You don't know how much I missed being able to lie in bed with you and fall asleep snuggled up to you and your arms around me. I missed that so much while I was in the hospital." Margo replies as she reciprocates Tom brushing his lips against hers._

"_It's safe to assume that we'll both be sleeping well tonight then." Tom states. _

"_Yeah, it is." Margo replies as she stifles out a yawn. _

"_One more thing." Tom states._

"_What?" Margo asks as she gingerly sits up._

"_Come here." Tom says as he lies back into the pillows and gesturing to Margo to lie with him. _

_As Margo gingerly lays next to Tom, mindful of her incision, Tom gently guides her to lay her head on his chest then wraps one arm around her shoulder while he gently eases his other hand up under her pajama top and starts rubbing her back._

"_I definitely missed this." Margo quietly says as she lets out a sigh. _

"_Me too." Tom says as he kisses her forehead and continues to rub her back, thinking to himself how grateful he is to have his wife home and lying in his arms again. "It feels so good to be able to lay here like this." _

"_Yeah, it does. It really does." Margo says as she yawns again. _

"_You've had a long day. I think it's about time that you get some sleep."_ _Tom says as he brushes the hair back from Margo's face and leans down to kiss Margo. "Good night, sweetie. I love you._

"_Good night, baby. I love you too." Margo says as they part from their kiss and lays her head back down on Tom's chest then closes her eyes. _

_As Margo drifts off to sleep, Tom gently slips his hand up under Margo's pajama top and resumes rubbing her back. _

_After watching his wife sleep for a few minutes, Tom gently reaches up to turn off the light then wraps his arm around his sleeping wife as he closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep with a slight smile on his face knowing that Margo's asleep in his arms again._

Tom wakes up a couple of hours later, thinking that he might have heard someone knocking on the door. After he sees that no one was at the door, he looks down and sees that Margo's still asleep, with her head still on his shoulder.

"I definitely missed you laying here like this with me." Tom whispers to a sleeping Margo as he brushes the hair out of her face just as Tom hears someone knocking on the door.

Tom gently gets up, so not to disturb a sleeping Margo, and walks over to the door and quietly opens it.

"Hello. I'm Kristi, the sonogram/ultrasound technician. I was told that Dr. Samuels scheduled an ultrasound for Margo Hughes this afternoon." Kristi states.

"Hi, I'm Margo's husband, Tom. Come on in. Margo's sleeping right now. I'll wake her up." Tom says as Kristi pushes the cart with the ultrasound machine into Margo's room and Tom walks over to the bed.

As Kristi starts to set up for the ultrasound, Tom sits back down on the bed next to Margo.

"Hey sleepyhead, it's time to wake up." Tom says as he rubs her arm. "Dr. Samuels is going to be here in a few minutes and the ultrasound technician is already here."

"Mmmmm…" Margo growls as she shifts in the bed.

"I know, but we will get to find out more about the baby if you wake up. If you want, you can definitely do back to sleep after this is all done." Tom says quietly. "Does she need to drink anything before hand?"

"When was the last time she had anything to drink?" Kristi asks.

"A couple of hours ago, she had some of the orange juice there in that bottle." Tom replies.

"She should be okay; it depends on the doctor on whether or not they want to have their patient have a full bladder when the ultrasound is done. Maybe, just to be on the safe side, she should probably try to finish it or drink some water." Kristi says as she turns on the machine to get it to warm up.

Margo opens her eyes when she hears the loud beep from the ultrasound machine as Kristi was turning it on.

"Hey sleepyhead, how are your neck and shoulder feeling now?" Tom asks.

"Definitely better. How long have I been asleep for?" Margo asks as she looks at the clock on the wall.

"A couple of hours. You fell asleep when I was giving you a neck and shoulder rub. You were pretty knotted up. This is Kristi, the ultrasound technician. She's here setting up." Tom says as he gives Kristi a quick glance.

"Hi, Margo. I'm just about finished setting up. Dr. Samuels should be in a few minutes." Kristi replies as she checks the bottle of gel that she has on the cart.

"I'll be back in a couple of minutes. I need to get a new bottle of gel." Kristi states as she heads out of the room.

"Are you okay?" Tom asks as he looks back over at Margo.

"I'm nervous." Margo quietly replies.

"Nervous about what?" Tom asks.

"About the baby, that there could be something wrong with it." Margo replies as she averts her gaze away from Tom.

"Everything's going to be okay. The baby's going to be fine. We'll know more about what's going on after Dr. Samuels lets us know about the test results, okay?" Tom asks as he sits down on the bed next to her and takes her hand in his as he grabs the bottle of orange juice with his free hand. "Why don't you finish the rest of your orange juice here and try to relax?"

Margo takes the bottle of juice and takes a drink of it. As she does, she scrunches her face after tasting that the orange juice is warm.

"Is there any ice in here?" Margo asks. "This orange juice is warm." 

"Let me check the pitcher over here." Tom says as he gets up from the bed and walks over to the counter. "No there's not any in here. Do you want some water instead?"

"That'll work." Margo says as she puts the bottle back on the tray.

Tom walks back over towards the bed after he pours Margo a glass of water. He hands Margo the glass then takes the bottle of orange juice and walks into the bathroom as Kristi knocks on the door as she opens it.

"Hi. I just saw Dr. Samuels outside and she's going to be in here in a minute or two." Kristi says as she walks over towards the machine.

"Kristi, am I going to need to change out of my pajamas here for this?" Margo asks.

"No, what you've got on is going to be fine as long as the top can be pulled up so your stomach can be exposed. I'll place a small towel over both your top and your pajama pants to that none of the gel that I am going to place on your stomach won't get on them." Kristi says as she puts the new bottle of gel on the cart.

Tom walks out of the bathroom after dumping the rest of the orange juice down the drain in the sink just as Dr. Samuels knocks on the door and opens it.

"Hi you two. I see you met Kristi already." Dr. Samuels says.

"Hi Dr. Samuels. Yes, we did." Margo replies.

"Margo, can I get you to either unbutton your pajama top or pull it up so your stomach can be exposed?" Kristi asks.

"Sure." Margo replies as she starts to undue the bottom three buttons on her pajama top to expose her stomach.

"While Kristi is getting you already there to do the ultrasound, I do have your lab results here from when you were brought in. The blood tests did come back positive for a condition called Intrahepatic Cholestasis of pregnancy. ICP, for short, is a pregnancy-related liver disorder that causes a buildup of bile acids in the mother's blood. ICP can be treated with a medication called Actigall, which Dr. Martinez also recommended. Tom, that is the UDCA course of treatment I told you about earlier. The Actigall, or UDCA treatment, will help with your liver function during this pregnancy. Margo, you and the baby are going to have to be closely monitored for the rest of this pregnancy because of the chance that you could go into preterm labor with having this condition." Dr. Samuels explains.

"What am I going to have to be monitored for?" Margo asks with a concerned look on her face.

"The first thing is to monitor the baby's heart rate, to see if the baby appears to be developing any difficulties such as abnormalities in the baby's heart rate. You are also going to have to be closely monitored because of your HCV. Dr. Martinez will be coming in to see you sometime tomorrow to discuss your medications with you." Dr. Samuels responds.

"What about passing HCV to the baby" Tom asks as he stands next to the other side of Margo's bed, opposite from where Kristi has the ultrasound machine.

"The risk of Margo transmitting the virus to the baby is very low. There's about a 5 percent chance of that happening. However, the baby is going to need to be tested itself when it is approximately 4-6 weeks old to determine whether or not the baby contracted the virus from Margo. Now the good news is that the viral levels are still pretty low, which haven't changed since the last time I saw you. Your liver function tests came back a little on the low side of the normal range, so you'll be monitored for that also. So far, your donor liver is functioning without any problems." Dr. Samuels replies. "Why don't we start the ultrasound and see how things are at with the baby?"

Kristi places the small towels over Margo's pajama top and pants.

"Margo, this gel might be a little cold against your skin." Kristi states as she squeezes the bottle to apply the gel onto Margo's stomach.

As Kristi turns the monitor on, she places the transducer against Margo's skin and starts moving it around on Margo's stomach. Tom sits next to Margo on the bed when the image of their unborn baby shows up on the screen and they start hearing the baby's heartbeat.

"Wow!" Tom says as he looks at the monitor and takes Margo's hand into his.

"How's the baby? Is everything okay?" Margo asks as she watches the baby on the monitor.

"Everything looks good so far. The baby's heart rate is steady, which is a good sign. I can tell you the sex of the baby, if you would like to know." Dr. Samuels says as Margo looks up at Tom as he nods his head.

"Yeah, we'd like to know." Margo replies as she gazes back at the monitor.

"You know that the ultrasound isn't 100% accurate and we'll know for sure when you have the amnio done and I get the results back from the fluid that will be drawn then. I can be fairly certain it's a girl." Dr. Samuels states.

"A girl?" Margo asks as a tear starts to roll down her cheek.

"Yes, a girl." Dr. Samuels reiterates. "And so far, everything with the baby looks good. She's developing normally."

"What are we looking at as far as a due date?" Tom asks.

"Tom, as of right now, Margo's about 22 weeks along. We're looking at a due date of around February 26th. " Dr. Samuels replies.

"Great, Casey's not really going to like that this baby's due around his birthday." Margo says.

"Ahh, Casey will get over it. He's still somewhat in shock that he's going to have another sibling" Tom replies back.

"Is there anything else you need from this, Dr. Samuels?" Kristi asks.

"The only thing I need is a printout of the heart rate." Dr. Samuels replies.

"Okay." Kristi says as she prints out the heart rate then a picture of the baby for Tom and Margo. "Here's the printout of the heart rate for you."

"Thank you, Kristi." Dr. Samuels replies as she takes the printout from Kristi.

"Here's a printout of the picture of your baby." Kristi states as she hands the picture from the ultrasound to Margo. "I'm done with this, so let's get this gel wiped off your stomach."

Margo takes the picture from Kristi and stares at it as she takes one of the towels and wipes the gel off from Margo's stomach.

"Margo, I will speak with Dr. Martinez in the morning and the determination will be made whether or not you will have to be on bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy. Dr. Martinez will be in to see you in the morning and I will also be here." Dr. Samuels states. "Do you have any other questions that I can answer right now?"

"When can I expect to go home? Casey's having surgery on his hand on Tuesday." Margo states.

"Probably within a couple of days and that depends on what Dr. Martinez says, too. I'd like to keep you here for a couple of days to monitor your blood pressure. From the last time Saree checked it, it was still a little high. I am going to have Saree come in here in an hour or two to check it again. I am also going to schedule the fluid draw for the amino." Dr. Samuels states. "Anything else?"

"When is she going to start on the medication for the ICP?" Tom asks.

"She's going to be started on that this afternoon. It's recommended that the Actigall be taken at the same times every day. The Actigall will also help with the itching, along with the Sarna lotion that I had ordered for her." Dr. Samuels replies. "I called the prescription down to the pharmacy already. That should be up here shortly. Anything else?"

"No. Thank you, Dr. Samuels." Margo replies.

"Thank you." Tom states.

"I'll be around in case you need anything. I have a patient in labor, so you'll know where to find me." Dr. Samuels says as she walks towards the door.

"Thanks again." Tom states.

"You're welcome." Dr. Samuels replies as she opens the door then walks out of Margo's room.

"I'm going to get this machine out of here. Margo, I was able to get most of the gel off. Here are a couple of small towels for you to use in case I didn't get it all. You two have a good afternoon." Kristi says as she unplugs the ultrasound machine and winds up the cord.

"Thank you." Margo says.

"No problem." Kristi says as she starts to push the machine towards the door.

Margo looks down and stares at the picture Kristi handed her as Kristi opens the door and pushes the ultrasound machine out of the room as Tom gets up to go over and hold the door for Kristi.

"Are you okay?" Tom asks as he walks back over to the bed and sits down next to Margo.

"I can't believe we're having a girl." Margo quietly replies as a tear rolls down her cheek and as Tom puts his arm around her.

"We're finally having the little girl that you've always wanted and we talked about having to add to the roster with Adam and Casey." Tom replies. "Are you okay now knowing that she's okay and that everything will be fine?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay now." Margo quietly replies. "I'm not thrilled about the possibility of bed rest."

"I know, but you were supposedly running yourself ragged for the past couple of months and basically throwing yourself into your work without taking any time off to take care of yourself. This little girl here is the reason why you need to take it extremely easy for the rest of the pregnancy so something doesn't happen to her now that we know what's going on. I know that you don't like to hear of having to take extremely easy or even having to go on bed rest to avoid stress right now, but right now there really isn't a choice considering this is a high-risk pregnancy. We thought that the chance for us to have another child had passed and here we are, expecting another child together—one that we've wanted for such a long time. So, let's make taking care of you and our daughter our main priority here. Okay?" Tom states.

"Okay. I just wish it wasn't for so long. Four and a half months-that's a long time, especially to be moping around the house." Margo quietly states.

"Yeah, I know you don't like it. Its doctor's orders and I'm going to see that you follow them, for your sake and the baby's because I don't want anything to happen to either one of you." Tom states as he takes the ultrasound picture from Margo and looks at it for a moment.

"How are you going to be doing that while you're living at the Lakeview with Casey?" Margo asks.

"We won't be. We'll be moving back home before you're released." Tom states.

"I don't think I'm ready for that." Margo states quietly.

"It's not what you're thinking. I'll stay in the guest bedroom. Listen, Casey wants to sleep in his own bed. Daniel, he misses you and he hates staying at the Lakeview with me when it's my weekend to have him. I think it would be good for the boys to be back home, instead of living in a hotel. It would also give you the chance to see them. It would give us more opportunities to talk and try to work things out, but it would do the same for you and Casey. Besides, I think it would do us all some good to have some sense of normalcy again after the past several months." Tom states. "Besides, I told you I am not going anywhere. I mean that. You are not dealing with a high-risk pregnancy by yourself."

"Tom, you and the boys shouldn't have to put your lives on hold because I have to take it extremely easy or be on bed rest for the rest of this pregnancy. We both know that you can't be there 24-7 and with the boys and what they have going on, we both know that is impossible." Margo implies.

"First of all, the boys and I aren't going to be putting our lives on hold. We'll manage. We did it before when you were sick and in here after your liver transplant surgery. I'll arrange it to work from home more often and besides, Tyler has been looking for an opportunity to prove himself on prosecuting a bigger case than the ones he has been and I have been thinking about giving him the chance of doing that and the timing couldn't be better. My parents and Kim are always willing to help with the boys. Gram really misses you. You know she would love to see you and be able to spend time with you. She's been asking me about you a lot. Daniel will be at Emily and Hal's part of the week. Casey isn't going to be able to finish the season for fall baseball because of his hand surgery and he wants to sleep in his own bed again. We'll figure something out. We always have in the past. Besides, I'm getting kind of tired of living in the Lakeview." Tom states.

"I wasn't expecting you to move back to the house. Daniel doesn't know anything about the baby, does he?" Margo asks.

"No, he doesn't. I haven't told him that. I figured that would be something we could both tell him. I know that this whole thing with you coming home, then ending up here and now Casey and I moving back home is a lot to take. You probably got used to having such a quiet house after we moved out. We'll take it one thing at a time. It's going to be okay. I know that you're having a hard time believing that, but it will be okay." Tom states.

"Yeah, there were times where it was nice not having all the commotion going on. There were times when it seemed to be too quiet." Margo replies. "I guess I am going to have to get used to having the commotion again and having people in the house again."

"Hey, there'll be times when the house is quiet—like when the boys are at school or after they're asleep, when I have to be in court, times like that—if that's what you're worried about." Tom implies.

"No, I am not worried about that. It's what you said to Jessica that I overheard that just keeps replaying in my mind right now and I wonder." Margo says as she looks down at her hands.

"Wonder about what?" Tom asks as he places his finger under Margo's chin to try to get her to look at him.

"I wonder if being here in the same room as me, just the thought of it…." Margo begins to say as she feels a lump in her throat and her voice trails off.

"What?" Tom asks as he gently wipes a tear away from Margo's cheek with the back of his finger.

"Does it make you sick?" Margo quietly asks.

"No. I never meant for you to hear that. You shouldn't have and I know you did. I said that to Jessica out of anger when she started to plead with me to at least talk to you. I was angry at the situation and what I thought was the truth at the time. I know it hurt you a lot and I know that you took that as I didn't want anything to do with you or the baby. I was wrong for saying that. You don't have to wonder about that anymore. Does that make you feel more at ease with this?" Tom asks.

"Somewhat." Margo quietly replies. "There are times I think that you're just going to leave again and not come back."

"I told you I am not going anywhere, and I meant it. I am definitely not going to turn my back on you now and leave with the condition you're in. I will reassure of that when you have those thoughts again." Tom says. "Why don't we change the subject here? Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, a little." Margo replies.

"Do you want something from the cafeteria, or I can call the Mona Lisa and see if they can bring something over here?" Tom asks. "What are you hungry for?"

"I was thinking something along the lines of some minestrone soup and that three-cheese grilled-cheese sandwich they have at the Mona Lisa for lunch." Margo replies.

"Okay. I'll go call over there and place an order. I am also going to call and check up on Casey and let him know what's going on. I'll be back in a few minutes." Tom says as he gets up from the bed and walks over towards the door.

"Okay." Margo replies.

"I will be back, okay?" Tom says, trying to reassure Margo that he's not going to take off.

"Okay." Margo quietly replies as Tom opens the door.

After Tom leaves the room, Margo picks up the ultrasound picture and stares at it.

"I can't believe I am finally going to have the little girl I wanted for so long." Margo says as she looks down and starts to rub her stomach, still somewhat in a state of disbelief over the fact that she is going to have the daughter she and Tom talked about having all those years ago—and thought she was never going to have.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

Monday morning, Tom and Margo's house 11:30 am.

While at Casey's pre-op appointment, Tom had decided that he and Casey were going to move back to the house from the Lakeview, even though Margo was real apprehensive about the idea. After the appointment, Tom and Casey went to get their things from the Lakeview to move back to the house. After helping Casey bring his things in the house and up to his bedroom, Tom starts bringing in his suitcases and his things.

Casey walks out of his bedroom to go downstairs when he notices his dad putting his things in the guest bedroom.

"Dad, your room is down the hall. What are you doing in the guest bedroom?" Casey asks.

"I told your mom I would take the guest bedroom for the time being." Tom explains.

"Is Mom really okay with us moving back home?" Casey asks.

"I don't know, Case. She did seem to be a little uneasy about this. However, I told your mom that I am going to make sure she follows the orders from her doctors for the rest of her pregnancy, not only for her sake, but also your baby sister's. I also told her that it would be good for both you and Daniel to be back home and not living in a hotel. I also told her that it would be good to have some sense of normalcy again after the past several months. Besides, it would also give you and your mom opportunities to talk and try to work things out. I know it's going to give your mom and me that chance too." Tom explains.

"What do you mean a baby sister? You guys can't find that out already, can you?" Casey asks.

"Yes, you're going to have a baby sister. As a matter of fact, your mom and I found out that you were going to be a boy when she had the ultrasound when she was pregnant with you. That's when we told both your Grandpa Bob and Grandpa John that we had already picked out a name for you and that your name was going to be Casey-after your mom's stepfather, and Katie's dad." Tom explains. "Your mom and I found out yesterday that the baby your mom is carrying right now is a girl—something your mom has always wanted after having both you and Adam."

"Wow, a little sister. That is going to take some getting used to. When is the baby expected to be born?" Casey asks.

"Yes, it is. Around February 26th. Your mom has always wanted a little girl for such a long time." Tom says.

"Wow, that's close to my birthday. What about Lien?" Casey asks as he and Tom head downstairs.

"We didn't find out about Lien until she showed up here in Oakdale and that was by total surprise. By then, she was already in her teens." Tom explains

"How come you didn't know about her until then?" Casey asks.

"It's a long story, Case. I didn't know that Lien's mother was pregnant when I left Vietnam. By the time that Lien had showed up here in Oakdale, her mother had passed away and your mom and I were trying to have a baby at the time, and we had already lost two at that point. Your mom had a hard time adjusting to Lien being here at first, but then Lien and your mom got to be really close, which they still are. Lien actually considers her to be a second mother." Tom explains.

"Do you think things are ever going to be okay again with Mom? Casey asks. "She seems kind of withdrawn, like she doesn't want to be around us—or at least me."

"Casey, why don't we sit down?" Tom says as he and Casey walk over to the couch and sit down. "Listen, your mom has been through an awful lot in her life and everything that has happened with Doc, you and me moving out on her, the pregnancy—it has brought up a lot of bad stuff for your mom and she has had to deal with basically reliving some of the really painful stuff that she put behind her. The hard part of it is that your mom had to deal with it this time around alone. There were a couple of incidents that could have cost your mom her life. And then, there is the stuff that I am responsible for that has painfully resurfaced for her."

"What do you mean a couple of incidents that could have cost Mom her life? What are you talking about? Casey asks, with a confused look on his face.

"Remember when Mom had her liver transplant a couple of years ago and we told you and Adam that the reason why she had to have it was because of something that happened to her when you and Adam were little." Tom says as he looks down at his hands.

"Yeah, you said that was the reason why she got so sick." Casey says.

"We didn't tell you what really happened to her. We weren't trying to hide anything from you guys, it's that it's still hard to talk about—let alone explain to you guys." Tom states quietly.

"Dad, was that something that happened to Mom really bad?" Casey asks.

"Yes, Casey, it was really bad. It was something that no woman should ever have to go through in their life. To be honest with you, I am still amazed that she was eventually able to get through it. There is really no easy way to explain this except that your mom was raped. She was at a liquor store picking up a bottle of wine when it was held up in a robbery. Your mom tried to go get the license plate of their vehicle when the back door locked behind her and the two guys saw her. One of them held your mom down while the other one raped her. We didn't find out until after he was arrested that he was HIV+. Luckily, your mom ended up testing negative both times she was tested for HIV, but we did find out when your mom got sick that he did pass on the Hepatitis C virus to her. The virus attacked your mom's liver and that is why she had to have the liver transplant." Tom says as he tries to maintain his composure, remembering that night they came back from Cape Cod that basically changed their lives forever.

"How come you and Mom didn't tell Adam and me any of this?" Casey asks as he looks down at his hands.

"Case, you and Adam were little kids when she was attacked. You were only about 18 months old at the time. We had a hard time explaining to you guys about all the bruises she had. There was really no way to explain it to you guys at the ages you were at when this happened in a way that you guys would be able to understand. There really isn't an easy way to explain to two little kids at the time that their mother was raped by a stranger. When your mom was diagnosed with having HCV because of the rape, she was reliving that whole nightmare all over again." Tom explains.

"Is Mom dealing with this all over again because of us moving out like we did?" Casey asks.

"Yeah, unfortunately, she is. Not only has she had to deal with the rape all over again because of what Doc tried to do to her, but she's also had to deal with some things all over again that are directly my fault. And because of that, your mom felt like she couldn't tell me that she found out she was pregnant—or if she was ever going to be able to tell me." Tom quietly states.

"Why wouldn't Mom tell you about the baby?" Casey asks. "Did she think that there was a chance that the baby isn't yours?"

"No, there is no doubt in my mind that the baby your mom is carrying is mine. I found out when exactly she found out about the pregnancy. She found out the day before Doc tried to force himself on her. I put two and two together and there is definitely a good chance that this baby was conceived when your mom and I had the house to ourselves while you were out in Los Angeles with Adam and Lien when you and Lien were invited to be extras in that movie project that Adam was working on at the time—not long before Doc came to town. The reason why your mom couldn't bring herself to tell me about the baby—it probably has to do with the one night I was with Emily that resulted in Daniel being conceived, when your mom suffered a miscarriage alone. I treated your mom pretty bad right before then and I made some accusations against your mom that I shouldn't have made." Tom explains, ashamed of how he treated Margo then the last time she was pregnant.

"What do you mean you made accusations against Mom?" Casey asks.

"When your mom was pregnant the last time, I accused your mom of sleeping with Eddie Silva and the baby being his. That wasn't true. The baby was mine. In addition, Emily had set up your mom to make me believe that she was going to have an abortion shortly before she suffered the miscarriage. The worst part of that whole ordeal was that I let your mom down that night when she suffered the miscarriage by herself. That was the night I was with Emily and that night resulted in Daniel. To be completely honest with you, Case, as long as I live, I will never be able to forgive myself for doing that to your mom."

"But Mom's fine around Daniel now." Casey states.

"Yes, and that took quite a while for that to happen. When Daniel was a baby, he was a constant reminder to your mom of the baby she lost. She had a real hard time with it. She couldn't be around him for quite some time. It was almost a good two years before she was. Then she was resigned to the fact that we weren't going to have any more kids together and that I know bothered her a lot." Tom says dejectedly.

"What about this baby now?" Casey quietly asks. "Mom has to be excited for this baby, right?"

"I don't know. Yesterday before the ultrasound, she told me that she can't get the thought out of her mind that there's something wrong with this baby." Tom explains.

"Is there something wrong with the baby, Dad?" Casey quietly asks.

"No, your soon-to-be little sister is just fine. She's developing normally. Your mom and the baby are going to have to be monitored closely in case of any complications arise from this condition your mom now has." Tom states.

"Remember that condition I told you about yesterday that we were waiting to see if she has-the intrahepatic cholestasis?" Tom asks.

"Yeah." Casey replies.

"We got the test results back yesterday and she has it. One of the complications of this condition is that the baby's heartbeat can become real erratic and could result in mom having her prematurely. That's why it's real important for the remainder of this pregnancy that your mom has to take it easy, and that's if Dr. Martinez doesn't order your mom to bed rest for the rest of it. We'll know more sometime today when we speak with Dr. Martinez. Are you all done bringing your stuff in the house?" Tom asks as he gets up from the couch.

"I was going to hook my game console back up to my TV and maybe hang out here for a while—get used to my bed again." Casey says.

"Okay, I have a couple of things I have to take care of here and then I am going to head over to the hospital and hopefully sometime later today, I'll know more about when she's coming home. "Tom states as he heads back upstairs.

After Tom finishes climbing the stairs, he walks into the guest bedroom and grabs the bags from A Child's Place and Sleepwear. He then walks down the hallway to the master bedroom. He walks in and places the bags on the bed and takes out the pink polar fleece blanket, the white polar fleece blanket with pink teddy bears, a pink bear, and a pink Chicago Cubs outfit. Tom takes those items and carefully places those items in a large pink and white gift box, then attaches a white bow on the top of the box. After fixing the bow on top of the box, Tom takes out a smaller, white box from the bag and removes the cover. In the box, is a white frame with pink lettering that says "Our little girl" with pink foot and handprints all over it. Tom takes the frame out of the white box and places it on top of the pink and white gift box. He then takes the pair of green maternity pajamas out of the Sleepwear bag and places them in the gift box from the store and places the other box on top of it.

Tom takes the card out of the bag, and then walks over to the desk and starts looking for a pen. After finding one, Tom opens the card that reads "Although I don't always tell you, I love you in so many ways." Tom writes "We are not perfect, but we are perfect for each other. I love you. You may not believe it, but I do love you. Love, Tom"

After Tom slips the card into the envelope and writes Margo's name on the envelope, he gets up from the chair and slips the card underneath the bow on top of the box and places the two boxes in a large gift bag.

Tom goes downstairs and makes sure that the bouquet of African violets is watered and the "Welcome Home" balloon is tied to the bottom of the vase.

Casey comes downstairs and heads towards the fridge.

"I see that Mom hasn't gone shopping in a while. The fridge is almost empty. There's nothing to eat here." Casey says as he's looking around in the fridge.

"I noticed that earlier. I called Kim earlier this morning and asked her if she wouldn't mind running to the grocery store for me. Between your mom's appointment, her possibly coming home from the hospital and your surgery getting moved up to tomorrow, I just didn't know when I was going to have time to get to the store. Kim should be here anytime now." Tom replies as a car pulls up in the driveway.

"I think that might be Kim now." Tom says as he looks out the window. "It's her. I am going to help her bring in what I asked her to get."

"Wow, there might actually be food in the house?" Casey asks.

"Yes, Case." Tom says as he opens the door.

"Hi guys. How are you both doing this morning?" Kim asks as she walks in.

"We're getting settled." Tom replies.

"That's good. When's Margo supposed to be coming home?" Kim asks.

"Hopefully within a couple of days. She has an appointment with Dr. Martinez this afternoon. Dr. Samuels wants to keep Margo in the hospital to monitor her blood pressure. Tom states.

"Did she say where she went?" Kim asks.

"No, I haven't asked her yet." Tom replies.

"I know I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed." Casey interjects.

"I know you are. You complained about the bed at the Lakeview since day one." Tom replies.

"I just wonder how Mom's going to take us moving back here after everything that's happened. When I talked to Mom at the hospital, I felt like I made things worse and she doesn't want me around." Casey quietly states as he looks down at his cast.

"It's going to take some time, Casey. This whole situation with your mom isn't going to resolve itself overnight. It's going to be an adjustment for everybody for a while, but hopefully, things will get back to normal." Kim implies as she puts her arm around Casey.

"Kim, I am going to start bringing in the bags from your car." Tom says as he walks over towards the door. "I'll give you two a few minutes alone."

"Okay, dear." Kim says. "Are you okay, Casey?"

"I don't know. When I saw Mom at the hospital yesterday, I thought she might be somewhat happy to see me, but I don't think she was. I know what I said to her hurt really bad, but you would think after not seeing me for a couple of months, she would be somewhat relieved to see me." Casey dejectedly tells Kim.

"I think your mom might still be feeling hurt about what you said to her about not wanting anything to do with her. I can't personally speak for her, but I think that she feels like everyone's abandoned her. There have been times where she's felt like that before, and she's probably feeling that again. Grandpa, Lisa, and I have tried to tell her that she'll always be apart of the family, no matter what happens, but I could sense that she didn't believe us. I could sense that she didn't believe me when I told her. Your mom is going to need some time. She's probably has had a lot to deal with alone and she's probably hurting over that, too. She's going to need time to heal. You and your parents are going to need time to get through this. I know you don't like hearing this, but, you're going to have to be patient with your mom." Kim replies.

"I can't remember when Mom was ever like this, at all. What if Mom doesn't want to be around me ever again?" Casey asks, trying to keep his emotions in check as he turns away from Kim and Tom enters the house carrying a couple of bags of groceries.

"Casey, I don't think that's going to happen. Your mom's going to need some time to figure things out. I can't imagine your mom not having to do anything with you. She loves you. It may not seem like it now, but she does. She's dealing with an awful lot right now and she needs time to figure things out. I know you don't want to hear this, but you're going to have to be patient with her as she works through all of this. She's going to need some time. And with her being pregnant right now—it's not making things much easier." Kim says as she tries to reassure Casey.

"We're all going to need some time to get through all of this, bud." Tom states as he places the two bags he was carrying in on the island and starts taking out the bag's contents.

"I'm just scared right now about the whole thing. I'm scared that something might happen." Casey quietly asserts.

"Nothing's going to happen. I am going to be reducing my caseload and passing a couple of cases to Tyler for the time being so that I can be here with your mom. When I do have to be at court, I will talk to Gram about her coming over and staying with your mom so she's not alone while I am gone." Tom states.

"But, what about me trying to talk to her? You saw how upset she got at the hospital yesterday when I tried talking with her. I told you that I made things worse with her." Casey says, upset.

"Case, just take things slowly with her. That's all you can do. Find something that you can talk to her with—about your day at school, problems with your homework, whatever you know that isn't going to make her upset. Let her set the pace on what she's comfortable talking about because we don't want her getting all upset or stressed out right now. And when you notice she starts to get upset or uncomfortable about something, take that as your cue to change the subject or take a break from talking. As time goes on, you'll both feel comfortable to talk about what has happened and how you both were affected by it." Tom states. "It's going to take time for your mom and me too. You're not alone in this."

"I know. I feel bad for what I did to mom and I don't know if that bad feeling is ever going to go away." Casey says.

"It eventually will, Casey. One of the things that will help in making that bad feeling go away is by talking to someone you feel comfortable with. It's not going to help anyone to keep that bottled up inside. Talking about it will help in the process of moving on." Kim states.

"I know. I just wish that this whole thing with Doc never happened." Casey quietly states as he put his head in his hands while standing near the island.

"Bud, you're not the only one" Tom says as he rubs Casey's back, feeling guilty over what he did to Margo. "I wish it never would have happened too."

"Hey, Casey. I've got an idea. Is there anything that you want for after your surgery tomorrow, since you're probably going to be cooped up for a while? Maybe you would like to come with me and get out of the house for a while-maybe get a couple new movies." Kim implies.

"Sure, if that's okay with Dad?" Casey asks, looking over at his dad.

"Yeah, bud. It's okay. I've got the last couple of things here to put away, and then I am going to head over to the hospital. I'll let you know about her appointment with Dr. Martinez." Tom states as he puts the groceries that Kim brought over away.

"Tom, do you want me to pick up some movies for Margo while I've got Casey with me?" Kim asks.

"I know that Casey brought Margo the new Ann Rule novel for her to read. I think she'd like a couple of the new crime dramas that have recently been released on DVD. I think that she would really like those." Tom says.

"Okay, we will see what we can find there. Casey, are you ready to go? Tom, what time does Casey need to be back for his pre-op appointment?" Kim asks.

"His pre-op appointment was at 9 this morning. He has to be at Memorial's Day Surgery Center at 7 am for his surgery tomorrow." Tom replies.

"How does this sound? I'll give you a call around 7 pm to see if Margo's home and settled, and I'll pick up some take-out for you guys and bring it on back when I bring Casey home. What do you think?" Kim asks as she puts her arm around Casey, trying to cheer him up.

"That sounds good, Kim." Tom replies back.

"Can Mom have pizza?" Casey asks.

"I'll ask your mom what she feels like having if I'm able to bring her home, okay, bud?" Tom asks. "I am going to go upstairs and grab a change of clothes for your mom, stop by the Mona Lisa to pick up the to-go-order for lunch, and head over to the hospital."

"Is Mom going to come home today?" Casey asks.

"I hope so. Keep your fingers crossed. I'll call you on your cell if something changes." Tom states. "Your mom has an appointment with Dr. Martinez sometime today and I really should be there for that."

"Okay, Tom, I am going to take Casey and we'll talk to you later." Kim says as she and Casey are about to walk out of the house.

"I'll talk to you guys later." Tom says as he heads upstairs.


	13. Chapter 13

Here's the updated Chapter 13. It's finally finished. I apologize, I have been dealing with recovering from surgery and being sick with Influenza B for the past month.

**Chapter 13:**

Memorial Hospital. Margo's room, 12:45 pm

Tom walks into Margo's room at Memorial, carrying a bag containing a change of clothes for her and a bag carrying the two gifts he bought for Margo. He looks over at the bed and sees that Margo's sleeping fitfully as he sets the bags down in the chair next to the bed. He watches her toss and turn as he walks over to the bed.

"Hey," Tom says as he walks over to the bed and takes her hand in his. "Wake up. It's okay."

Margo slowly opens her eyes when she hears Tom's voice.

"Hey. What happened?" Tom asks.

"Ahh…how long have you been here?" Margo asks, groggily.

"I just got here to your room a couple of minutes ago. Dr. Martinez should be here in about half an hour or so. Do you want to tell me what had you tossing and turning when I walked in?" Tom replies.

"I haven't been sleeping much at all for the last several months." Margo quietly tells Tom as she looks away from him, still feeling uneasy.

"I know there's been a lot of stuff that has been drudged up that has been bothering you. Do you want to talk about it? Anything about why you haven't been sleeping?" Tom asks as he sits on the bed facing Margo.

"No. It's not going to make any difference." Margo replies quietly.

"Make a difference about what? You can't just keep this bottled in. It's not good for you and it's definitely not good for the baby. Hal's afraid you're going to have another PTSD episode, and I'm afraid of that, too." Tom replies as he gently rubs Margo's arm.

"I just don't want to talk about it right now, okay." Margo says as she covers her eyes with her arm to avoid Tom seeing the tears welling up.

"I don't want to upset you, but there is something that is clearly bothering you. I know it's hard and I can tell how you are trying to avoid looking at me. If you don't want to talk about it now, promise me you will talk about it at some time." Tom implies as he continues to gently rub Margo's arm.

"What's in the big white bag over in the chair?" Margo asks, trying to change the subject, as she wipes away tears that spilled out.

"Umm…something for you and our little girl." Tom says as he gets up to grab the white gift bag from the chair. "You haven't said anything about talking about what has been bothering you at some point."

"I just don't want to get all worked up before Dr. Martinez comes in." Margo states as she looks at Tom.

"Well, that's understandable. But, please promise me at some point you'll talk about this—if not with me, maybe a therapist." Tom begs as he walks back over to the bed and hands Margo the white gift bag.

"I'll think about it." Margo quietly states as she takes the bag from Tom

"Well, at least these should try to put a smile on your face." Tom says as he sits back down on the bed next to her.

Margo pulls out the first box out of the bag and takes the cover off. As she moves the white tissue paper out of the way, she sees something green and starts to take the pajama top out of the box and notices the matching pajama pants.

"New pajamas?" Margo asks.

"Yeah, I thought you could use a new pair—considering the pregnancy. Besides, they're silk. The gal at the store where I bought them from told me the silk maybe more comfortable with the itchy skin you've been dealing with lately. They're maternity pajamas, so they may be more comfortable and less tight than the pajamas that you have on now." Tom states as he moves the gift box out of the way.

"Yeah, the pajama pants I've got on are getting somewhat tight. I kind of forgot how quickly my stomach gets big when I'm pregnant. I kind of hate how nothing fits right now and how fat I'm getting." Margo quietly says as she looks down at her growing stomach.

"Hey, first of all, you're not fat." Tom says as he sits down on the bed and places his hand on Margo's stomach "Our baby girl is in there, growing like she should be. Besides, when you were pregnant with Casey, one of my favorite things to do at night when we went to bed was cuddle up next to you with my head on your chest and rubbing your stomach-feeling Casey as he moved and kicked as we watched a movie before falling asleep."

"Yeah, that was one of my favorite things, too." Margo says quietly as she moves the box that the pajamas were in out of the way.

"We've got a few minutes before Dr. Martinez comes in. Why don't you change into your new pajamas? They may be more comfortable for you." Tom states as he looks at his watch, then hands the pajama top to Margo and gets up from sitting on the bed.

"That sounds like a good idea." Margo says as she moves the blankets to get up.

While Margo heads to the bathroom to change, Dr. Martinez knocks on the door and enters the room.

"Hi, you must be Dr. Martinez? Margo just went to go change into some different pajamas I brought her." Tom says as he sees the doctor walk toward the bed.

"Yes, I am. And you are?" Dr. Martinez asks as she sees Tom for the first time.

"I'm Tom Hughes, Margo's husband and the father of the baby." Tom says as Margo comes out of the bathroom.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hughes." Dr. Martinez says as she shakes Tom's hand. "Hi Margo, how are you feeling today?"

"Tired and pretty achy." Margo replies as she crawls back into the bed as she notices the fetal heart monitor going off. "It looks like that I need to be hooked back up to that."

"Maybe not. The baby's heart rate has been pretty steady since you've been admitted. Now, you mentioned that you feel pretty achy. When did that start?"

"Since I found out I was pregnant, so about 3 months ago or so. But then, I also haven't slept in my own bed for about the past three weeks or so." Margo replies.

"Is the achiness in one particular area or is it all over? Dr. Martinez asks as she makes a note in Margo's chart.

"It's been all over." Margo replies.

"That could be from a number of things. It could be hormonal due to the pregnancy, it could also be from the buildup of bile acid in the blood, which is why I am starting you on Actigall right away this afternoon. I'm also going to prescribe an oral vitamin K because vitamin K deficiency is quite common in women who have ICP and that can pose a serious problem for the baby. Now, Dr. Samuels noted in her report to me that you're about 22 weeks pregnant as of yesterday. As far as your pregnancy goes and your medications, your anti-rejection medication is going to be reduced to the lowest dosage possible. Your viral levels have been consistently low, which is a good thing. The baby itself will need to be tested around 6 weeks after birth to ensure that the HCV has not been transmitted to the baby." Dr. Martinez explains to Tom and Margo.

"What about an erratic heartbeat? Dr. Samuels mentioned something to me about that the night Margo was brought in." Tom asks.

"One of the complications is that the baby's heartbeat can become erratic. It could mean a sign of distress due to the ICP. That is why Margo's been hooked up to the fetal heart monitor since she's been admitted. The good news is that the baby's heart rate has been steady, but it will still need to be monitored. The goal here now is to ensure that Margo takes it easy for the next 15 weeks or so and avoids as much stress as possible. I understand that Dr. Samuels has basically ordered Margo to go on maternity leave, correct?" Dr. Martinez asks.

"Yes, even though I haven't talked with Hal yet about that." Margo replies. "Am I going to be on bed rest and what is this about the next 15 weeks?"

"I'm going to speak with Dr. Samuels, but the recommendation is that you be on partial bed rest. You'll be able to get up to shower, make yourself something to eat, go from your bedroom to the living room or family room. You aren't going to be able to work at all and you will need to avoid heavy lifting—including doing laundry. My understanding is that you have a pretty stressful job as a police detective, is that correct?" Dr. Martinez asks.

"Yes, I'm a detective on the Oakdale Police Department." Margo states.

"Well, between Dr. Samuels and I, we'll get the paperwork filled out for you for any short or long term disability protocols with the police department. It is important that you take it very easy for the rest of your pregnancy—especially with this being a high-risk pregnancy." Dr. Martinez states.

"What is this about the next 15 weeks or so?" Tom asks.

"The goal right now is to get Margo to carry to 37 weeks. As you've both been informed, one of the complications of ICP is the baby's heartbeat can become erratic and in that case, the baby would need to be delivered prematurely. There are other complications that could arise from ICP that can affect both mother and baby-such as preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, which is common in the third trimester. Margo's liver function is going to have to be closely monitored, along with the baby's heartrate for the rest of the pregnancy." Dr. Martinez explains.

"Is there any idea on when I may be able to go home Our son is scheduled to have surgery on his left hand tomorrow." Margo asks.

"I'm going to speak with Dr. Samuels, but probably within the next couple of days. I want to do another liver function test after you've been on the Actigall for at least 24 hours. It's important that the Actigall is taken basically around the same time every day while you are on it. Dr. Samuels will make that determination based of what I inform her." Dr. Martinez states as Margo looks down, feeling kind of defeated.

"Is this ICP going to have any long term affects on Margo's health after she has the baby?" Tom asks.

"No, the ICP typically goes away shortly before going labor—that's if Margo carries to 37 weeks or makes it to full term. There really shouldn't be afterwards, but Margo will get a full exam—including liver function tests—after she delivers." Dr. Martinez states. "I'm going to go meet with Dr. Samuels and we'll make the determination on when Margo is going to be discharged."

"Thank you." Margo states quietly as Dr. Martinez walks towards the door.

"You're welcome. I'll get the paperwork started for Margo's disability and I'll have one of the nurses bring it in when it's completed for you." Dr. Martinez states just as she's about to leave the room.

"Well, Hal's not going to like that piece of news when I talk with him." Margo states as she runs her fingers through her hair after Dr. Martinez leaves.

"We both knew it was a strong possibility that you were going to be put on bed rest. If it helps, I'll deal with Hal. Besides, the department still owes you some significant time off after both Hal and the commissioner begged you to come back part time not quite two months after your liver transplant two years ago and you lost both sick and vacation time when both Hal and Jack were off who knows where when Carly and Emily went missing, leaving you basically to be the only detective for quite a while. This time, I'm going to make sure you get ALL of your time off and they are not going to rush you into coming back to work after having this baby." Tom says as he hands her the other gift box. "You still have half of the present I brought to open."

"I totally forgot about the lost sick and vacation time." Margo says as she opens the second box from Tom.

After she puts the top of the box aside and moves the tissue paper, she notices the white polar fleece blanket with pink teddy bears.

"Wow" Margo says as she holds up the first blanket and sees the pink blanket underneath with a pink and white teddy bear and the picture frame. "It's going to take some getting used to have pink stuff around the house. I got so used to boy stuff after having both Adam and Casey, then having stuff for Daniel around the house."

"Yeah, it's going to take some getting used to—especially after having three boys in the house. I stood there for almost a solid hour at the store looking at all of the pink blankets and other baby girl things. I actually had to have someone from the store help me pick this stuff out."

After Margo puts the blankets and the bear aside, she picks up the pink and white Cubs outfit.

"Her first outfit is a Cubs outfit?" Margo asks as she looks over the tiny outfit.

"Yeah, I couldn't help myself with that one." Tom says with a smile on his face. "When Casey was a baby, one of my favorite things to do was sit on the couch with him napping on me watching the Cubs play. This time around, I'm looking forward to doing that with our little girl this coming baseball season."

"There were times I would come down from upstairs and you'd be napping with him while the Cubs were on" Margo replies. "Especially if he was up several times the night before."

"Yeah, he was a little stinker when it came to sleeping through the night when he was a baby." Tom states. "Hey. There is a card somewhere around here that goes along with this."

"Thank you, especially for the pajamas. I really like these. Now, I'm going to have to figure out getting stuff for this baby—especially girl stuff." Margo says as she moves the box and the tissue paper looking for the card.

"Well, hopefully mom and Kim can help you with that." Tom replies.

"I don't know. Do you think either one of them want to see me after everything that's happened?" Margo asks as she finds the card.

"You'll be surprised. Even Gram has asked about you quite a few times. She was actually a little disappointed when you weren't at Chris and Alison's wedding. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't mind helping you out. Kim even came by the house with groceries this morning after Case and I noticed there wasn't much for food in the fridge." Tom states as Margo opens the envelope, takes the card out and opens it.

As Margo reads "Although I don't always tell you, I love you in so many ways." That's printed inside of the card and what Tom wrote, "We are not perfect, but we are perfect for each other. I love you. You may not believe it, but I do love you. Love, Tom," tears begin to form.

Tom notices her reaction as she wipes the first of the tears that start to fall out of her eyes and puts the card down.

"I see that you read what the card said and what I wrote?" Tom asks as he takes Margo's hand in his.

"Yeah." Margo quietly replies as she wipes away more tears and looks down at the card that she had just put down. "You wrote what you said to me the night we renewed our vows."

"Hey, I meant it then and I still mean it now." Tom says as he brings his other hand up to Margo's face to get her to look at him and wipes away the tears from her cheek with his thumb. "I know you told Casey that our marriage is over. Our marriage is far from over. We both made mistakes and I made an even bigger one by walking out on you. I feel even worse knowing now I walked out on you when you had just found out you were pregnant and hadn't had the chance to tell me yet. I still feel terrible knowing that you spent basically the first half of this pregnancy alone and yes, that is my fault."

"I wanted to tell you. I wanted you to hear it from me, but then I heard you tell Jessica what you said and I couldn't bring myself to tell you. Even if I told you then, I don't think it would have made any difference about our marriage. You still had me served with separation papers. I tried to hold off on signing them, but there was no point in holding off any longer. When I was heading to the airport, I was finally beginning to accept the fact that you weren't coming back and our marriage was over. That's why I signed them when I was out of town and sent them back to you with my wedding ring, along with that note I wrote. I don't want this baby being the sole reason we get back together—if we do."

"We have things to work out. I made it very clear to you that I'm not going any where now. I'm not leaving you to deal with this pregnancy by yourself—not with this being a high-risk pregnancy, knowing that you have ICP, and you being on partial bed rest for the rest of this pregnancy. You've been through a pregnancy alone before, you're not doing it again. Had it not been for Casey's hand injury and the wedding, I would have taken off and started looking for you. I actually had already started looking for you when you came home the other night. After I found out about the pregnancy, it was eating at me not knowing where you were, how you and the baby were, and if you were going to come home or wait until after had the baby to come back." Tom states. "We will work things out, even if it takes until after the baby is born, we will. I'm not turning my back on you now. I would never be able to live with myself if I did."

Margo moves her hand away from Tom's and rolls over on to her side so that she's not looking at him, feeling like emotionally she's been hit with a ton of bricks—first hearing that she's going to be on partial bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy, then reading what Tom wrote in the card and what they both had just said.

"Hey. I know it's a lot right now, and I know that you're not happy about being told you have to be on partial bed rest for the rest of this pregnancy. I forgot to get something to eat for lunch, so, I'll give you some time alone and head down to the cafeteria. Do you want anything?" Tom asks as he stands up from sitting on the bed.

"Maybe a chicken sandwich." Margo quietly replies as Tom brushes the hair away from her face and tucks those strands behind her ear.

"Okay. I'm going to call Casey and give him the news. I'll be back in a little while. It's going to be okay. We'll work it out. I love you…and I mean it." Tom states as he gently rubs her arm before he leaves Margo's room.

Just as Tom closes the door behind him after leaving Margo's room, Bob sees his son and walks up to him.

"How's Margo doing?" Bob asks.

"She's going to be here for another couple of days. Dr. Samuels wants to see if her blood pressure comes down any lower. Dr. Martinez wants to do another round of liver function tests tomorrow after she's been on the Actigall for at least 24 hours and Margo's not real happy at the fact that Dr. Martinez is recommending partial bed rest for the next 15 weeks or so." Tom states as he runs his fingers through his hair. "And Casey's having surgery tomorrow, so I'm trying to figure out what to do about tomorrow. Casey needs one of his parents and I really don't want to leave Margo alone here in the hospital"

"Casey's procedure is a minor one, right?" Bob asks.

"Yeah, my understanding is that they have to reset the bone in his hand and put a pin in his finger to keep that bone in place while it heals. The hand surgeon said maybe four weeks. He said the surgery's only going to take about two hours and it's out-patient." Tom replies.

"Why don't you stay here with Margo? I have tomorrow off and I can take Casey tomorrow and stay with him after his surgery at your house." Bob states. "Kim told me how he hates the bed at the Lakeview and he wants to sleep in his own bed at home after surgery."

"I can't ask you and Kim to do that. You and Kim have already done a lot with my being here at the hospital with Margo. It's not fair to dump Casey on you like that." Tom states.

"You're not dumping Casey on us. We told you we would stay with Casey as long as Margo's in the hospital. You need to be here with her right now. Even though Margo may not want to admit it, she really does need you here." Bob says.

"I know. I feel bad about not being there for Casey's surgery, though." Tom replies.

"Hey, you know he'll be in good hands. Kim and I will stay with him tomorrow at your house so he can sleep in his own bed after his surgery and I'll come by with another change of clothes for you afterwards so you can stay here." Bob replies. "Have you and Margo talked at all?"

"Yeah, Dad, we've talked some. I don't want her getting too worked up or stressed out right now because this ICP apparently can cause the baby's heart rate to become erratic, among other possible problems. Margo can't shake the feeling that something may be wrong, but the ultrasound yesterday showed so far the baby's doing fine. Dr. Samuels scheduled the amnio draw for tomorrow, but so far, she's fairly certain you're going to have a granddaughter sometime in February." Tom states.

"A granddaughter? Wow. That's going to take some getting used to. Margo has to be beside herself knowing she's going to have a little girl after having three boys around the house." Bob says, with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, Dad, a having a little girl is going to be different after having three boys running around the house. I was thinking about how the house is going to be somewhat quiet after Casey graduates from high school three years from now and only having Daniel half the time. Now, that's not happening and I'm perfectly fine with that." Tom says.

"Do Adam, Lien, and Daniel know about the baby?" Bob asks as he grabs the chart he was looking for.

"No. Adam, Lien, and Daniel don't know that Margo's pregnant. I haven't told them yet. I didn't say anything to Lien and Adam when I called them to see if they had heard from Margo at all. I figured Margo and I could tell Daniel together, once I get Margo home from here." Tom replies. "I haven't had anything to eat basically all day, so I'm going to go down to the cafeteria to get some lunch for both Margo and myself. I also need to give Casey a call to let him know about Margo being in the hospital for a couple of more days."

"I'll talk with you later about tomorrow. I'm going to stop in and see Margo for a few minutes." Bob states.

"Thanks again, Dad, for helping out with Casey." Tom states.

"No worries, son. Go and get some thing to eat." Bob replies as he heads towards Margo's room.

After Bob knocks on the door to Margo's room, he opens it and walks in.

"Hey there, kiddo. How are you holding up? Bob asks.

"Hi Bob. I wasn't expecting to see you at all." Margo replies as she shifts in the bed to sit up.

"I thought I would stop in and see you before I finish up for the day. I'm taking tomorrow off to take Casey to his hand surgery tomorrow for you and Tom. I know it's important for Tom to be here." Bob says as he pulls a chair up to Margo's bedside.

"You don't have to do that. I was going to tell Tom to be with Casey tomorrow. Casey could use having one of his parents around." Margo tells Bob.

"Don't worry about it. I said the same thing to Tom before he went down to the cafeteria. Kim and I will stay with him and I can keep an eye on him to be on the safe side. Besides, Casey has made it very clear to Kim, Tom, and I that he wants to sleep in his own bed after surgery tomorrow. Tom needs to be here with you. It's that important to him." Bob says. "So, rumor has it that I'm going to have a granddaughter?"

"Yes, you are.I still can't believe it myself at times, since we found out." Margo replies as she hands Bob the ultrasound printout. "Casey's not the only one who's looking forward to sleeping in their own bed."

"Well, I can tell Tom's working on being wrapped around that little girl's finger already. How long has it been since you've slept in your own bed?" Bob asks as he notices the blankets, the bear, and the Cubs outfit that Tom bought.

"Yeah, he is. He even bought her a Cubs outfit as her first outfit already. Tom's working on making sure she's going to be a daddy's girl." Margo replies. "About three to four weeks now."

"Have you told Tom where you were?" Bob asks.

"No. I haven't. Tom hasn't asked and I haven't said anything about it." Margo replies. "Can you get me a fresh glass of water?" 

"Sure." Bob states as he grabs Margo's water glass to go fill it up. "So, how are you doing? I know about the ICP."

"I've been pretty achy through out this pregnancy so far, but I don't know if that's because I haven't been sleeping much, the ICP, or stress. I'm not looking forward to being on partial bed rest for the next 15 weeks or so. I'm pretty much on maternity leave starting immediately, even though I've been away from the station for the past three weeks or so." Margo replies as she lets out a sigh.

"Stress isn't good for you or the baby right now, so without knowing everything, being put on partial bedrest is probably a good thing. Tom told me that a lot of bad memories and things have been drudged up for you because of this whole situation. Have you thought about talking with Dr. Michaels or another therapist at all?"

"I've been thinking about it. There are things that have been drudged up because of this whole Doc thing and it's been so hard to deal with. It's probably part of the reason why I haven't been sleeping much either." Margo replies.

"It sounds like you've been dealing with a lot of emotional trauma that has resurfaced. I'll see if I can have Dr. Michaels come by if I see her before I leave. If I don't I'll leave a message for her secretary to have her see you. Why don't you try to get some rest and take it easy. I'll give you a call after Kim and I get Casey home from his surgery tomorrow." Bob states as he gives her arm a gentle rub before he leaves the room.

"Thank you, Bob." Margo replies. "Thank you for everything."

"No problem, kiddo" Bob replies as he opens the door to leave.

After she sees Bob leave the room, Margo picks up the phone to call Hal.

"Hi Hal, it's me Margo. I'm calling to let you know that I'm back in town. I've been admitted to Memorial for observation. You can call me here. I need to speak with you. Thanks. Bye." Margo says, leaving a voice mail message for her boss and friend.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Cafeteria, Memorial Hospital

Tom is sitting in the cafeteria, having just gotten off the phone with his assistant, Tyler Ramsey, after having made arrangements to have some files brought over to him while he's at the hospital with Margo.

After taking a drink of his soda, Tom dials Casey's cell phone.

"Hello?" Casey says after he answers the phone.

"Hey bud, it's Dad." Tom replies.

"Hey Dad. What's up with Mom? Is she coming home today?"

"No, I'm afraid she's not. Dr. Samuels wants to keep Mom for observation for a couple of more days to see if her blood pressure comes down some more and Dr. Martinez wants to do at least one more round of liver function tests after she's been on the medication for the ICP for 24 hours." Tom states to his son.

"Is the baby okay?" Casey asks.

"Yes, the baby's fine. Dr. Samuels has had your mom on a fetal heart monitor to monitor the baby's heart rate. Hopefully, within the next couple of days, Mom should be discharged." Tom says as he grabs his soda glass.

"Grandpa Bob said he'll take me to my surgery appointment tomorrow so you can stay with Mom." Casey states.

"Yeah, I just talked with him a little while ago. I told him that you should have at least one of your parents with you and Grandpa said I need to be here with your mom. You okay with that?" Tom asks.

"Yeah, he told me he would bring me back home here so I can sleep in my own bed and him and Grandma Kim are going to stay with me to keep an eye on me." Casey replies.

"I hate this situation right now. I should at least be there tomorrow." Tom states just as he's about to take a sip of his coffee.

"But Mom shouldn't be alone right now, either." Casey retorts. "I'll be fine."

"I know your mom shouldn't be alone right now, especially being in the hospital." Tom states. "I'll come by the house sometime tomorrow after you're home to check in on you."

"I'll probably be passed out asleep, though. Didn't Grandpa promise to call you tomorrow after to let you know how things went?" Casey asks.

"Yes, he did. I'm going to get your mom a sandwich and go back up to her room. If I don't talk to you later. I love you, bud, and good luck tomorrow. I'm sure everything will be fine." Tom states.

"Love you, too, dad. I'll talk with you later." Casey replies just before he hangs up.

After ending his phone conversation with Casey, Tom finishes his lunch, then orders a chicken sandwich with a side salad for Margo, then heads back up to her room.

Margo's Room

After having left a voice mail for Hal letting him know she's back in Oakdale, but in the hospital, Margo rubs her hands over her face. Still feeling emotionally drained from the visit from Dr. Martinez and talking with Tom about what he wrote in the card, she sinks back down into the pillows. Just as she closes her eyes, the phone rings.

"Hello." Margo says.

"So, this is how you decide to let me know you're back, uh? What are you doing in the hospital?" A familiar voice asks on the other end.

"Hi Hal. I came home the other night and ran into Tom at the house. After talking with him, I collapsed in pain. Tom ended up calling for an ambulance and I've been here since." Margo replies.

"How are you and the baby?" Hal asks.

"I've been told the baby's fine. I have something called Intrahepatic Cholestasis of pregnancy, or ICP. It could cause problems for the baby. My blood pressure as also been somewhat on the high side and they would like that to come down. I'm basically on maternity leave as of now and I'm going to be on partial bed rest for at least the next 15 weeks or so." Margo tells Hal. "The pain I was having that caused me to collapse was from an UTI that is being treated with antibiotics."

"Is this because of your Hepatitis C and your liver transplant? Are you having problems with those?" Hal asks.

"The ICP, probably because of the HCV. So far, the lab results are still showing that my viral levels are still pretty low and there hasn't been any problems with my transplanted liver. My meds for those have been adjusted for those due to the pregnancy. However, I pretty much have to avoid stress because the ICP can cause the baby's heartbeat to become erratic and there's a chance I could end up delivering early. They want me to carry to at least 37 weeks and I'm 22 weeks along right now." Margo replies.

"So, this is pretty serious? When did you find all of this out? Is that why you were still feeling pretty lousy before you left?" Hal asks.

"I found out that I have ICP yesterday. The partial bed rest, I just found out about that today. The ICP could have played a part in why I was feeling pretty lousy, part of it was also because of the nausea and my having not slept much because of everything going on." Margo states.

"And what about Tom? You said that you ran into him at the house? Why didn't you call me to let me know you were coming back?" Hal asks. "Your car is still at my house from when I brought you to the airport."

"I was planning on calling you the next morning to bring my car over. I had to change my plans and had to come back home early because my appointment with Dr. Martinez had to be changed and the only appointment that was available was supposed to have been tomorrow, so I had to take that appointment. My flight got in late the other night and it was too late to call you, but Belmonte was finishing up an accident call when I was trying to call for a cab and he gave me a ride home. Tom was at the house when I got home. Casey told him I packed everything of theirs up and Tom was over at the house to see it for himself. He told me about the video tape that was taken from the surveillance system at the Oakdale Country Club that showed Doc trying to force himself onto me and he told me that he knows about the baby. I ended up doubling over in pain while he and I were talking and I've been here since." Margo says.

"Where's Tom now? I spoke with him afterwards and we did go over that tape with Tyler Ramsey about possible charges. Tom recused himself on that because of his marriage to you. He was devastated to find out about the baby the way he did, Margo. Does he know where you were?" Hal asks.

"Tom's been here at the hospital with me. He went to go get something to eat. I told him I needed a little space after my appointment with Dr. Martinez earlier. He was going to call Casey to let him know that it'll be a couple of more days before I get to go home. He's having surgery tomorrow on the hand that has the broken bones in it. I assume Tom knows I went out of town, but I haven't told him where I was. What do you want to do with my car?" Margo asks.

"I'll talk with Tom to bring it over to your house. Casey must have broken that hand pretty badly if they're doing surgery tomorrow." Hal retorts.

"All I know is that they have to put a bone back in place and insert a pin or something to keep that bone and another bone in place. Bob's going to take him tomorrow because Tom wants to be here with me, even though I told Tom that Casey really should have one of his parents around tomorrow." Margo replies.

"Right now, it sounds like you're Tom's top priority right now and Casey's in good hands with Bob and Kim. Which, by the way, you never answered my question on how are you doing? How are you?" Hal asks.

"I'm hanging in there. I'm not liking the fact that I'm on partial bedrest for basically the rest of this pregnancy, which I told Tom you weren't going to be happy about since I've already been gone for the past three weeks." Margo replies.

"You told me yourself that your doctor told you that you need to take it easy. Well, I'm still agreeing with that assessment and we'll deal here at the station with you being gone. We've done it once before, we'll do it again. How are you doing with Tom being around? I know you were completely avoiding him before you left town." Hal says.

"I don't know. I mean it is somewhat of a relief that he now knows about the baby. He was here yesterday when I had an ultrasound done and we found out that we're having a girl. He was here when I had the appointment with Dr. Martinez a while ago and he's basically been here since I was brought in, except for several hours yesterday when he and Casey moved back into the house. Casey's even been here once already." Margo states.

"Tom and Casey already moved back into the house?" Hal asks.

"Yeah. Casey was adamant about sleeping in his own bed after his surgery tomorrow and Tom wants to make sure that I follow doctor's orders and take it easy for the rest of this pregnancy. I told him I wasn't too sure about them moving back in right away. But, it is what it is. Tom's already working on making sure this baby is going to be a daddy's girl." Margo replies.

"You're having a girl? You must be in shock." Hal surprisingly states.

"Yeah. I just found out yesterday when I had the ultrasound. I had the fluid draw done today for the amino, which should confirm in it. I was and am still surprised by that, especially after having both Adam and Casey and got used to having so much boy stuff around the house." Margo says.

"And how does Tom feel about the baby?" Hal asks.

"I think Tom's elated we're having a girl. After everything that has happened, especially with the last miscarriage, I gave up on ever having another baby with Tom. Then I was diagnosed with HCV and ended up having to have the liver transplant, I knew there was no way I'd be able get pregnant—or so I thought." Margo states.

"How long are you going to be in the hospital?" Hal asks.

"I believe another day or two. Hey. I have to go. Tom's outside of the room, about to come in. I'll call you later." Margo says right before she hangs up the phone and Tom walks into the room.

Tom walks into the room as Margo hangs up the phone after talking with Hal.

"Hey. I brought you a grilled chicken sandwich and a side salad. Feeling any better?" Tom asks as he shuts the door to Margo's room.

"A little bit, I don't feel as overwhelmed as I was a while ago. Hal's going to be getting a hold of you. My car is still at his house from when I left town." Margo states.

"Your car is at Hal's? How did you get home from the airport?" Tom asks as he hands Margo the sandwich and salad.

"I was able to get a ride home from one of the uniforms who happened be at the airport finishing up an accident call. He saw me and offered me a ride home. Hal has my car at his house because I left my car at the station and he drove it to the house to take me to the airport the day I left town." Margo replies.

"Where did you end up going when you left town?" Tom asks.

"John convinced me to come spend some time with him and get out of Oakdale for a while, which I took him up on that offer." Margo replies.

"Anywhere in particular? I know you flew into Boston." Tom states.

"We went out to the coast for a while." Margo vaguely states. "Sometimes, I wish I was still there."

"Why do you say that?" Tom asks.

"Because I was able to relax out there. I was able to sit out on this patio swing and look out to the ocean to watch the waves. I sat out there for hours either reading or just watching the waves as they hit the shore. It was nice to be able to get away from everything and out of Oakdale for a while." Margo replies.

"Hal suggested that you might have been heading out of town when I asked him if you were going to be available for a preliminary hearing. It was not long after that I found out that you were pregnant when I had Jill Anders on the stand. I was scared about not knowing where you were. I was scared about not knowing how you and the baby were. I was scared at the possibility that you might not have come back to Oakdale until after the baby was born." Tom states.

"I thought about staying out there for at least the remainder of this pregnancy. Being out there, I could be away from all of the bad memories from the last time I was pregnant and then miscarried that night..." Margo quietly says as she looks away from Tom just as tears start to fall from her eyes.

"Hey…" Tom states as he notices Margo looking away from him. "Why don't we change the subject? I can tell you're getting upset and right now, that's not good for either you or the baby. You've had quite a day so far. Why don't you try to relax some and try to eat some of the lunch I brought for you? I'm going to go by the house, see if there is anything I need to take care of before Casey's surgery tomorrow and let you have some time alone. Is there anything you want me to bring back from the house?"

"Not really. Maybe my favorite throw blanket that was on the couch." Margo replies quietly as she looks away from Tom.

"I'll look for it and bring it back with me. Take it easy, try to eat some and relax. I'll be back in while. Okay?" Tom asks as he takes Margo's hand into his and gives it a slight squeeze.

"Tom, you don't have to fuss over me while I'm here in the hospital. I know you have work to do and the boys. You don't have to be here 24/7 because I'm here." Margo states.

"Margo, yes, I do need to be here. You have already gone through most of this pregnancy so far by yourself. You're dealing with a high risk pregnancy and I would not be able to forgive myself if something were to happen and I wasn't here. I wasn't there when you had the last miscarriage and I still kick myself over that to this day. So, yes, I do need to be here. I've told you I'm not going anywhere and I mean it. Like I said earlier, you try to take it easy, try to eat some, and relax. I'll be back in a couple of hours." Tom says just before he leaves Margo's hospital room.

Just as the door closes to Margo's room, Tom pulls out his cell phone and calls the one person who would love to see Margo—his grandmother, Nancy.

"Hello?" Nancy replies as she answers the phone.

"Hi Gram, it's me, Tom." Tom states.

"Hi dear. How are you? I haven't seen or spoken with you since you left Chris and Alison's wedding early the other night. Is everything alright?" Nancy asks.

"It's been a rough past couple of days, Gram. Margo came home the other night when I stopped by the house and to make a long story short, she's in the hospital here at Memorial. I don't know if you have been told, but Margo's about 22 weeks pregnant and it's a high risk pregnancy." Tom replies as he runs his fingers through his hair.

"Margo's pregnant? Your father didn't say anything about that when he was home earlier. How is she doing?" Nancy asks.

"She's hanging in there. Her blood pressure's been somewhat high, so her doctor wants to see that come down. She has a pregnancy related problem to her HCV and her liver transplant, so she is going to be on partial bed rest once she goes home and for the next 15 weeks or so. Margo isn't too happy about that, but with this complication she has, she has to avoid stress as much as possible." Tom replies.

"Is this complication life threatening at all for Margo or the baby?" Nancy asks with concern.

"What she has is called Intrahepatic Cholestasis of pregnancy. From what's been explained to Margo and I is that it's a pregnancy-related liver disorder. She's been started on a medication called Actigall that she has to take twice a day until she has the baby. The major concern is that this ICP could cause the baby's heartrate to become erratic and there is a possibility of pre-term delivery. Dr. Samuels and Dr. Martinez want Margo to carry until at least 37 weeks. However, we did find out one piece of good news." Tom states to his grandmother.

"What is that?" Nancy asks.

"You're going to have a great-granddaughter. Margo and I found out that the baby is a girl. We found that out yesterday with the ultrasound. I've been here at the hospital with her basically since she was brought in. I did have to leave for several hours this morning to move back into the house with Casey. But, yes, Margo and I are having a little girl." Tom says as he walks over to the elevators.

"Margo must be thrilled. She must be happy that you and Casey moved back into the house." Nancy implies.

"I think Margo's still in shock about finally having a little girl. As far as Casey and I moving back into the house, she's unsure. She knows Casey wants to sleep in his own bed after his surgery tomorrow and I'm going to take the guest bedroom for the time being. I'll feel better being there at the house with what's going on with both Margo and with Casey having his surgery tomorrow. I need to be there in case something happens with Margo." Tom replies.

"I'll feel better now knowing you're going to be there. She needs to know that she and this baby are a top priority for you." Nancy states sternly to her grandson.

"I have been reminding her of that. I feel really bad now for walking out on her like I did—especially finding out after the fact that she was pregnant when I did. I told her she's not dealing with the rest of this pregnancy by herself, with the condition she's in. However, she has told me a couple of times that I don't need to fuss over her while she's here in the hospital." Tom says.

"Margo will eventually come around and she'll appreciate you being there. This whole situation is hard on everybody. You, Margo, and Casey have a lot to work out, which is going to take time—which you already know. It's not going to be easy." Nancy states.

"Yeah, Gram, I know it's not going to be easy. She gets upset real easily right now and one of the things that she needs to avoid is stress because of the ICP. The other thing is that she's going to be on partial bed rest once she leaves the hospital, which she's also not happy about. She's on maternity leave, effective immediately. She told me right before I left her room that she wishes she was still out on the east coast where she was at with John and not back here in Oakdale." Tom replies.

"Out on the east coast?" Nancy asks.

"Yeah, she mentioned to me that Hal was going to give me a call because he still has her car at his house. I asked her where she went and all she told me is that she went out to the east coast to stay with John while he was on vacation. She hasn't told me where exactly she was at with John. All I know for sure is that she flew into Boston." Tom states.

"At least she was able to spend time with John and possibly relax." Nancy replies.

"She said she liked being out of Oakdale and away from everything for a while. I thought I should let you know she's here at Memorial in case you would like to give her a call." Tom says.

"I have to be at Memorial for a volunteer meeting this afternoon. I could stop in and visit with her beforehand. I would love to see her." Nancy states.

"I think she would like that." Tom replies "I'm heading over to the house and I'm going to be gone for a couple of hours, maybe three, to see if there is anything I need to take care of before Casey's surgery tomorrow and then I have to stop by the office to pick up some files that I need to go through for cases that I need to work on. She was getting upset when we were talking about her being out of town, so I'm giving her some time to relax and some space."

"Well, I'll head over to Memorial here shortly and bring her a couple of slices of the banana bread I made this morning that she loves. What time is Casey's surgery tomorrow?" Nancy asks.

"Dad and Kim are taking Casey to his surgery so I can be here at the hospital with Margo. I think he has to be here around 7 am. It's an out-patient procedure and Dad and Kim are going to stay with him at the house afterwards. I think at least one of them was going to stay at the house tonight with the boys." Tom replies.

"I'll make sure they have something for dinner tomorrow night, so you don't have to worry about that with everything you have on your plate." Nancy says.

"Gram, you don't have to do that. I was going to call Mom to see if she can have an order delivered to the house from the Mona Lisa." Tom states.

"It's not a problem and at least the boys will have a good meal. I need to get ready so I can leave for the hospital. Please let me know if you need anything and please let me know how Casey's surgery went." Nancy replies.

"I'll have Dad or Kim call you. Thank you." Tom says as the elevator door opens.

"You're welcome. I'll chat with you later. I love you. Bye." Nancy states.

"I love you, too, Gram. Bye." Tom replies as he closes his phone and walks into the elevator.


End file.
